Erdoğan confident Iran does not seek nuclear weapons

Erdoğan, speaking at an interview with British broadcaster BBC during a visit to London on Tuesday, said he was confident that Iran's nuclear program was for civilian purposes only and that it was Iran's most natural right to employ nuclear energy for civilian purposes. He also described Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a friend. "I told him I don't want to see nuclear weapons in the region," the BBC quoted him as saying. "Iran has consistently spoken of the fact that it is seeking to use nuclear energy for civilian purposes and that they are using uranium enrichment programs for civilian purposes only. That is what Mr. Ahmadinejad has told me many times before."

Turkey is calling for a diplomatic solution to the dispute over Iran's nuclear program and opposes sanctions. Erdoğan, in the past, has also said the West should avoid double standards, criticizing its silence towards Israel's possession of nuclear weapons while pressuring Iran for pursuing a nuclear program. On Tuesday he reiterated that he believed it was unfair of nuclear-armed countries to “manipulate the facts” about Iran while not criticizing Israel for its nuclear arsenal. “Countries with nuclear weapons are not in a position to turn to another country and say, ‘You are not supposed to produce nuclear weapons',” he said.

Turkey, which has developed better ties with Iran in recent years, is expected to abstain or vote against new sanctions on Iran, together with Brazil, Lebanon and China, at the UN Security Council. Turkey is a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

Speaking at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown later in the day, Erdoğan called for a diplomatic solution. “Sanctions have been imposed twice before; we have seen the results. What I will say is that what we need to do for a solution is be diplomatic, act diplomatically and find a diplomatic solution,” he said. “We always say to all of our friends that we would not like to see any nuclear weapons in our region. … What we would like to see is a world without nuclear weapons, and if this were the case I believe that some of the issues that we are not always happy about would be resolved much more quickly and efficiently.”

Brown said he agreed with Erdoğan that the issue must be resolved diplomatically but backed UN-imposed sanctions on Iran. “My belief is that the United Nations Security Council must take action to ensure sanctions against Iran,” Brown said. “We will continue to consult on these issues.”

Brown also reiterated his support for Turkish accession to the European Union. “I have said that Europe will benefit from the cultural, the economic and political strengths that Turkey will bring to Europe's top table and that the reform process led by Prime Minister Erdoğan will remove the remaining obstacles to accession negotiations, and therefore I look forward to working with Turkey as a trusted European partner,” he told the news conference.