I call it a conversation because the meeting was not included in the program and took place in a warm atmosphere rarely seen in diplomatic interviews.
What paved the way for the meeting translated by prospective Iranian Ambassador to Turkey Reza Maghadam was that we and Mottaki were waiting in the same hall for the dinner hosted in honor of the Turkish delegation.
Turkish journalists Fehmi Koru, Hasan Cemal, Mehmet Altan, Hasan Karakaya, Enis Berberoglu, Asli Aydintasbas and I spoke with Mottaki about almost everything except the Fenerbahce-Galatasaray football derby played during the same hour.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mottaki called the Shiite-Sunni conflict in Iraq a ‘painful wound’ and said the U.S. occupation was the source of all problems, including sectarian clashes.
Mottaki asserted the two most important problems in Iraq were the occupation and a general insecurity. He said any possible solution should cover both problems.
The United States continuously imposes two dangers, division and domestic conflict, to keep Iraq under control, Mottaki commented. He said Iraqi groups that have co-existed for centuries could find a better solution on their own.
Asked what Iran’s contribution could be, Mottaki said the problem could be solved by the Initiative of Iraq's Neighboring Countries pioneered by Turkey: “We can help Iraq with the decisions taken in meetings held in Istanbul and Tehran.”
When we asked about the wishes of some Shiite groups to set up a federation, Mottaki says this is a right that already exists in the constitution.
Regarding the scenario of a Shiite reunification with Iran, Mottaki says, “We want Iraq’s unity.”
Tehran seems quite comfortable on the nuclear issue. Mottaki firstly says this issue has become stale and then adds the U.S. has more important problems it should be worried about.
Mottaki’s comments on Pope Benedict XVI’s Turkey visit and Kirkuk surprised us all:
“I am quite busy, I could not follow it closely” he says concerning the pontiff’s visit and implies he does not care about the issue much.
Concerning Kirkuk, another issue discussed by the whole world, Mottaki says, “I hear about it when I come to Turkey but I have not examined it on legal terms,” and adds the issue is not on their agenda.
We also mentioned Turkey’s European Union membership process in our conversation. To our question, “Will the EU accept Turkey’s membership?” Mottaki answers: “What does this mean? The question should be ‘Will Turkey accept the EU?’ Turkey will be a plus for the EU with its rich history, economy and position.”
Some from our group see in these words: when it comes down to it, Turkey is more important to the EU and the Union will do what it has to.
To our proposal to lobby on behalf of Turkey during his visit to the Netherlands, Mottaki responds by smiling.
We also talk about Hezbollah, the PKK and particularly about Israel with Mottaki.
He explains the reason why they do not recognize Israel and proposals for solutions with anecdotes.
Mottaki later asks Hasan Cemal what he thinks about Israel. I hope we will deal with this interesting dialogue in another article.
