Iran’s nuke program for humanitarian ends, Erdoğan says

Erdoğan's remarks came in Tehran as he was speaking to reporters following talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi during an official visit to the neighboring country. The Islamic republic denies the charge and says its nuclear program is aimed at generating electricity.

When asked whether he discussed the nuclear controversy during his talks with Iranian officials, Erdoğan replied affirmatively and added that Iran had shown its sincerity during talks in Geneva with Western powers. He was probably referring to Iran's promise in Geneva to give inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to a newly disclosed nuclear enrichment plant near the city of Qom. The inspectors arrived in Iran early on Sunday. “Here there is an approach saying, ‘Let's work on establishing a joint consensus and assume the process within the framework of this consensus',” says Erdoğan.

He said Iran had already voiced willingness to cooperate with both Russia and the United States on nuclear enrichment. “Consequently, a positive response to this positive approach [by Iran] will improve the process towards a much more positive direction. This is an exercise on nuclear energy; it is an exercise with peaceful and humanitarian goals,” Erdoğan said.

Earlier this week Erdoğan accused the West of treating Iran unfairly over its nuclear program, in comments that come as world powers await Tehran's response to a UN-drafted plan which would require it to send potential nuclear fuel abroad.

State broadcaster IRIB said Erdoğan stressed Iran's nuclear rights in his meeting with Ahmadinejad. “Those chanting for global nuclear disarmament should first start in their own countries,” Erdoğan said, according to the Iranian broadcaster.

In a separate meeting, Rahimi told Erdoğan that a “golden opportunity” existed for the expansion of bilateral ties.

Turkey, a mainly Muslim country seeking European Union membership and dreading the thought of a nuclear Iran, says it is willing to mediate between Iran and the West. Bilateral Iran-Turkey trade reached $7 billion in 2008. Turkey's Energy Minister Taner Yıldız told Reuters last week he hoped the two countries could finalize a $3.5 billion deal to develop part of the world's largest gas field in Iran.

Natural gas deal

Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Tuesday, Yıldız said Turkey and Iran would today [Wednesday] sign a framework agreement to jointly explore natural gas in the South Pars basin.

“We will start practices in the first or second week of November. We will come here with a delegation which will conduct technical studies,” Yıldız said, adding that at least half of the natural gas to be explored, estimated to be around 35 billion cubic meters, would be marketed either in Turkey or via Turkey.

Iran is Turkey's second-biggest supplier of natural gas after Russia. Turkey has said that Iranian gas can help the planned Nabucco pipeline to supply Europe and lessen the continent's dependence on Russian deliveries.

“I believe Nabucco will sooner or later understand the importance of Iran's presence,” Erdoğan told Ahmadinejad, referring to the pipeline consortium, the IRNA news agency reported.

Ahmadinejad praises Erdoğan on Israel stance

Ahmadinejad, meanwhile, praised Erdoğan for his “clear stance against” Israel, Iran's state media reported. Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly predicted Israel's imminent demise, blamed foreign states for regional problems and called for an expansion of Tehran-Ankara ties. His comments appeared aimed at the West, including Turkey's ally, the United States.

“The more regional countries expand their ties and get closer to each other, the more they can remove their problems and limit the ill-wishers which have plots against them,” IRIB quoted Ahmadinejad as telling Erdoğan. “Iran-Turkey cooperation would benefit both countries, the region and the whole Islamic world,” he said.

“Your clear stance against the Zionist regime had a positive impact in the world which undoubtedly made all nations happy,” Ahmadinejad said in the meeting, IRIB reported. Iran does not recognize Israel, which it refers to as the Zionist state.

Erdoğan's visit to Iran comes two weeks after Turkey barred Israel from a NATO exercise, a decision that angered Israel and prompted rare criticism from the United States. Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel have suffered since Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip last winter, in which Erdoğan accused Israel of committing crimes against humanity.