Iran keen to resume nuke talks, says Turkish FM

ANKARA / TEHRAN

Iran is determined to resume talks on its nuclear program, Turkey’s foreign minister said following talks in Tehran on Jan. 5.

“Following my talks with [EU foreign policy chief Catherine] Ashton, I had discussions with the Iranian side on the issue yesterday. The Iranian side said they were determined, too, and agreed to resume talks [on the nuclear program],” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said in a joint press conference with Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba yesterday.

Noting that Turkey hosted the last round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program last January, the minister said the process had been pursued only through an exchange of letters since then. Expressing hope that the talks would begin soon with mutual will and goodwill, Davutoğlu said Turkey was ready to make every type of contribution on the matter.

NATO radar for defense purposes

In a press conference with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi, Davutoğlu said the NATO missile defense system, which is deployed in the eastern province of Malatya, was for defense purposes and Turkey would not tolerate the use of any system within its territories being used against its neighbors.
Commenting on Syria, the foreign minister said despite the initiative of the Arab League, bloodshed was still continuing in Syria and Syrian politics should change according to the demands of its people. Furthermore, Iran could make big contributions to Syria by making recommendations, the Anatolia news agency quoted him as saying. Turkey and Iran could also offer assistance in Iraq in relation to the high tension in the country following the withdrawal of U.S. troops, he added.