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Brazil, Turkey working on 'alternative' Iran nuclear offer
Brazil and Turkey, which both hold non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council, are studying an alternative proposal to deal with Iran's controversial nuclear program, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (L) shakes hands with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday. AFP photo
While the U.S. administration was seeking to intensify pressure on the Islamic republic over its nuclear drive at a nuclear summit in Washington, D.C., Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked about designing a strategy different from sanctions at a meeting Monday, Amorim said.
Amorim told a news conference that Brazil agrees with the permanent members of the Security Council seeking a "diplomatic solution," but has a different perspective on how the issue should be approached. Neither he nor Turkish officials give any further details on the alternative proposal.
Turkey currently holds one of the rotating seats on the U.N. Security Council, and the United States is hoping Turkey will cooperate with efforts to impose sanctions against Iran as punishment for its alleged work toward creating nuclear weapons.
No nukes in Mideast, says PM
Erdoğan, meanwhile, said at a speech on the sidelines of the conference Monday that his country does not want Iran or any other nation to have nuclear weapons. Speaking at a panel on Alliance of Civilizations as a global vision of peace at the George Mason University, he said Turkey was against spread of nuclear weapons in the world.
Therefore, this will be our message [in the summit] to countries possessing nuclear weapons: we urge them to free their countries of nuclear weapons. We want them to invest in the future of humanity, education establishing peace, eradicating poverty rather than these [nuclear weapons], Erdoğan said.
While the United States worries about Iran's nuclear program, Turkey has its own concerns about Israel's nuclear program. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opted not to attend the Obama's summit, and insiders said he had expected Turkey and Egypt to use the conference as a platform to challenge him over his country's widely assumed nuclear arsenal, which Israel never has acknowledged.
Erdoğan, in his remarks, did not specifically mention Israel's nuclear program, but he criticized its treatment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and called Gaza an "open-air prison." He said Tehran has denied it is pursuing a nuclear weapon, but he also said the International Atomic Energy Agency, the world's nuclear watchdog, has faulted Iran for a lack of transparency.
Brazil, Turkey working on 'alternative' Iran nuclear offer - Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review
Brazil and Turkey, which both hold non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council, are studying an alternative proposal to deal with Iran's controversial nuclear program, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (L) shakes hands with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday. AFP photo
While the U.S. administration was seeking to intensify pressure on the Islamic republic over its nuclear drive at a nuclear summit in Washington, D.C., Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked about designing a strategy different from sanctions at a meeting Monday, Amorim said.
Amorim told a news conference that Brazil agrees with the permanent members of the Security Council seeking a "diplomatic solution," but has a different perspective on how the issue should be approached. Neither he nor Turkish officials give any further details on the alternative proposal.
Turkey currently holds one of the rotating seats on the U.N. Security Council, and the United States is hoping Turkey will cooperate with efforts to impose sanctions against Iran as punishment for its alleged work toward creating nuclear weapons.
No nukes in Mideast, says PM
Erdoğan, meanwhile, said at a speech on the sidelines of the conference Monday that his country does not want Iran or any other nation to have nuclear weapons. Speaking at a panel on Alliance of Civilizations as a global vision of peace at the George Mason University, he said Turkey was against spread of nuclear weapons in the world.
Therefore, this will be our message [in the summit] to countries possessing nuclear weapons: we urge them to free their countries of nuclear weapons. We want them to invest in the future of humanity, education establishing peace, eradicating poverty rather than these [nuclear weapons], Erdoğan said.
While the United States worries about Iran's nuclear program, Turkey has its own concerns about Israel's nuclear program. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opted not to attend the Obama's summit, and insiders said he had expected Turkey and Egypt to use the conference as a platform to challenge him over his country's widely assumed nuclear arsenal, which Israel never has acknowledged.
Erdoğan, in his remarks, did not specifically mention Israel's nuclear program, but he criticized its treatment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and called Gaza an "open-air prison." He said Tehran has denied it is pursuing a nuclear weapon, but he also said the International Atomic Energy Agency, the world's nuclear watchdog, has faulted Iran for a lack of transparency.
Brazil, Turkey working on 'alternative' Iran nuclear offer - Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review
