Turkey dismisses missile threat from neighboring Iran

“We see no threat from our neighbors… But we have the capacity to defeat any threat should it arise,” Davutoğlu, told reporters late on Monday as he flew back from Brussels, where he attended a governmental conference during which accession talks between Turkey and the European Union on the environment chapter were launched.

He was responding to a recent report in the Turkish media that US officials have asked Turkey to agree to the installation of NATO radar devices in its territory as part of a missile defense system. The US recently scrapped plans for Poland and the Czech Republic to host missile shield elements to counter possible strikes from Iran. Due to a re-assessment of the threat from Iran, Washington has announced a new scheme for a more flexible system.

Iran, which tested the latest version of its longest-range missile, the Sajjil-2, last Wednesday, has caused concern in the West. The missile, which has a range of about 2,000 kilometers, can reach Israel, as well as US bases in the Gulf region and parts of southeastern Europe, including Turkey.

Davutoğlu appeared reluctant to make any firm statement on the reported US request to install radar in Turkey, saying NATO should first define the threat. “This is not an issue for NATO now. First, a definition of the threat against NATO members must be made. Then we can consider the issue in this light,” he said.

The foreign minister also said both sides should stop escalating tension with heated rhetoric. “One side says all options [including a military attack] are on the table [against Iran] while the other side [Iran] tests missiles in order to show it will not be deterred by military threats. The Middle East should not be a scene for this kind of tension.”

Turkey has taken steps in the past years to improve its ties with neighboring Iran, stuck in an escalating standoff with the West over its nuclear program. Ankara says it is opposed to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons but also dismisses Western calls for sanctions or military measures against the Islamic regime. Responding to criticism that Turkey is sliding from the West to an Iranian axis, Davutoğlu said Turkey has never been part of any axis.

“There is a conviction as if some within the Western alliance are making decisions and Turkey has to obey this. We are a part of that organization. We have the right and authority to determine where the axis will emerge as much as any other country has. We are within the Western alliance,” Davutoğlu went on saying, displaying Turkey’s approach toward Afghanistan and its contributions to the war-torn country as a significant example showing how Turkey tried to toe the right axis within NATO in regards to the Afghanistan issue.

Turkey joined the 15-nation UN Security Council as a non-permanent member in January and will hold the seat through the end of 2010. Davutoğlu signaled resistance to any US and European push for tougher UN sanctions on Iran, saying: “As a neighboring country, we want a region free of military threats and sanctions. However, Iran should also fulfill its part for that. The region doesn’t have to live anymore with these sanctions and tensions. To what extent the sanctions have been useful in the past should also be reviewed.”

Iran and the West are deadlocked over a UN proposal for Iran to send much of its uranium abroad for enrichment in a friendly third country like Turkey, pending the arrival of the fuel. The plan is aimed at reducing Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile in hopes of thwarting the country’s ability to make a nuclear weapon.

Dismissing the fact that Iran has so far not accepted the offer, Davutoğlu argued that the proposal was still on the table and indicated that Ankara would push to have regular contact with senior Iranian officials in order to find a way to reach a resolution of the dispute through diplomatic means.

“In the past, we have always been the losing party when there has been tension. We were negatively influenced when sanctions were imposed on Iraq at the time. Our efforts are aimed at preventing such negativity; they are not a reflection of our ambition for mediation, as some have perceived.”

Dismissing reports that he plans to pay a visit to Israel, Davutoğlu reiterated his harsh criticism of Israeli inaction on the ongoing humanitarian tragedy in Gaza.

Recalling a recent call by former US President Jimmy Carter for world powers to coerce Israel to end its blockade of Gaza, Davutoğlu asked, “Should we now call Carter anti-Semitic for what he said?”

Israel’s Gaza offensive last winter “killed the peace perspective,” he said, adding, “If the peace perspective is rebuilt, then we will not avoid having contact.”

When reminded of Armenian officials’ recent statements threatening to annul the protocols signed by Ankara and Yerevan in October for the normalization of relations if Ankara fails to ratify them before April, Davutoğlu said the issue should be dealt with via a “visionary” approach instead of by enacting arbitrary deadlines.

Ruling out criticism of Ankara for linking the issues of normalization of relations between Ankara and Yerevan to the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between Baku and Yerevan, Davutoğlu said: “Normalization at the bilateral level is linked with an improvement in the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Turkish-Armenian border has been closed for years but we are still trying to resolve this issue. If the same kind of good intention can be shown on the other issue, then it may reach a further level as well.”