Iran ‘Bent on Having Nuclear Weapons,’ Turk Ambassador Warns
Turkey’s ambassador to Washington said Iran is “irreversibly” on the road toward producing nuclear weapons and called for direct dialogue on the matter between Washington and Tehran.
Ankara in the past has voiced concerns about Iran’s potential nuclear capabilities, but Ambassador Faruk Logoglu’s remarks are the first on-the-record comments by a senior Turkish official stating that neighboring Iran is actually preparing to produce an atomic bomb.
“In my view, Iran is irreversibly bent on having nuclear weapons,” Logoglu told the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, a think tank based near Washington, on Dec. 19. “Iran’s nuclear weapons would be a serious threat for security in the Middle East.
“The European Union effort [to convince Iran] to give up its nuclear ambitions] is unlikely to succeed,” he said.
Logoglu said that for a “carrot and stick” approach to succeed in turning Iran away from the nuclear path, the carrot would have to come from the United States. He urged Washington to launch a direct dialogue with Tehran.
“Direct U.S.-Iran talks are needed, but I don’t think this is likely in 2006,” he said.
“The Iranian situation will inevitably affect Turkey,” Logoglu said. “Tensions between the United States and Iran will reflect on our relations with the United States and with Iran. This happened on Iraq.”
Iran says its nuclear plans are limited to peaceful electricity generation. But it hid potential arms-related technology from a United Nations nuclear watchdog for 18 years.
The United States continues to express alarm about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but has so far let Europe take the lead in trying to resolve the issue. U.S. President George W. Bush says he prefers a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis, but warns that “all options are on the table.” Washington has no diplomatic relations with Tehran.
Britain, France and Germany, the EU trio holding talks on Iran’s nuclear program, are due to resume low-level talks with Iranian officials in Vienna on Dec. 21, but analysts expressed little optimism that talks with Tehran’s hardline government would yield a breakthrough.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s call for Israel to be “wiped off the map” and his declaration that the Holocaust was a myth have aggravated Western fears about Iran’s nuclear plans.
Ankara in the past has voiced concerns about Iran’s potential nuclear capabilities, but Ambassador Faruk Logoglu’s remarks are the first on-the-record comments by a senior Turkish official stating that neighboring Iran is actually preparing to produce an atomic bomb.
“In my view, Iran is irreversibly bent on having nuclear weapons,” Logoglu told the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, a think tank based near Washington, on Dec. 19. “Iran’s nuclear weapons would be a serious threat for security in the Middle East.
“The European Union effort [to convince Iran] to give up its nuclear ambitions] is unlikely to succeed,” he said.
Logoglu said that for a “carrot and stick” approach to succeed in turning Iran away from the nuclear path, the carrot would have to come from the United States. He urged Washington to launch a direct dialogue with Tehran.
“Direct U.S.-Iran talks are needed, but I don’t think this is likely in 2006,” he said.
“The Iranian situation will inevitably affect Turkey,” Logoglu said. “Tensions between the United States and Iran will reflect on our relations with the United States and with Iran. This happened on Iraq.”
Iran says its nuclear plans are limited to peaceful electricity generation. But it hid potential arms-related technology from a United Nations nuclear watchdog for 18 years.
The United States continues to express alarm about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but has so far let Europe take the lead in trying to resolve the issue. U.S. President George W. Bush says he prefers a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis, but warns that “all options are on the table.” Washington has no diplomatic relations with Tehran.
Britain, France and Germany, the EU trio holding talks on Iran’s nuclear program, are due to resume low-level talks with Iranian officials in Vienna on Dec. 21, but analysts expressed little optimism that talks with Tehran’s hardline government would yield a breakthrough.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s call for Israel to be “wiped off the map” and his declaration that the Holocaust was a myth have aggravated Western fears about Iran’s nuclear plans.
posted by Marko at 12/21/2005 08:15:00 AM
<< Home