Davutoğlu reiterated Turkey’s policy regarding the nuclear arms issue, saying Ankara is, and has been, against all nuclear weapons, especially in the Middle East. “No matter who possesses these deadly weapons, we are against it,” he said, adding, however, that every country has a right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, such as meeting legitimate energy needs.
“Countries should be able to produce enriched uranium for civilian purposes, but the process must be transparent and for peaceful goals,” Davutoğlu underlined. “We are not doing this to favor Iran as our approach to nuclear arms and nuclear energy issues is valid for other countries as well,” he added.
The Turkish foreign minister also balked at more sanctions targeting Iran, saying Turkey would be most adversely impacted in the case of a possible expansion of embargo and trade restrictions. “We suffered immensely when the UN Security Council imposed an embargo on Iraq during Saddam’s rule. The sanctions have a way of punishing those who were not intended to be punished in the first place. The Iraqi embargo affected not only Turkey but also the Iraqi people,” he said.
Davutoğlu emphasized that Turkey prefers negotiations to resolve outstanding issues between Iran and Western powers, noting that military means fall short of accomplishing goals and complicate matters worse. “Let’s give talks a chance and stick to negotiations,” he added.
16 November 2009, Monday
ABDULLAH BOZKURT CORDOBA, todays zaman
