Talks with Ahmadinejad fail to produce energy deal
Posted by meb at August 15th, 2008
Turkey and Iran yesterday signed a series of agreements to further cooperation in a number of areas, including terrorism and organized crimes during a landmark visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but fell short of signing an energy deal that US had opposed.
A joint statement, released just before a joint press conference between Ahmadinejad and Turkish President Abdullah Gül at the historic Çırağan Palace in İstanbul said that the two countries will continue to discuss further cooperation in the field of energy. Officials earlier said that the two sides were unlikely to reach an agreement on the terms of the deal because the Iranian side presented new demands. The disagreement reportedly centered on pricing and new investment conditions.
The United States is opposed to the proposed natural gas deal, saying this would ease the international pressure on Iran at a time when the West presses Tehran on its contentious nuclear program. Such a deal by Turkey with Iran would send the wrong message at a time when the Iranian regime has repeatedly failed to comply with its UN Security Council and [International Atomic Energy Agency] IAEA obligations, the US State Department said, according to a report that appeared in the Financial Times on Thursday.
The US State Department said Washington was opposed to any country deepening economic ties with Tehran, the Financial Times said, quoting the State Department as saying: “This is not the time to do business with Iran. It is time for the international community, including our ally Turkey, to begin considering additional measures to pressure Iran.”
While the West has threatened a fourth round of sanctions over Tehran’s refusal to halt uranium enrichment because of fears Iran could develop a nuclear weapon, Turkey has said it is not opposed to the nuclear work if it is only for civilian use.
Iran is Turkey’s third biggest natural gas supplier. Turkey’s investments in gas production in Iran are estimated at $3.5 billion. Turkey, which is a net importer of gas and oil, has been trying to find a way to use its geographical position between Europe and the energy-rich Caspian to import gas and sell it on to Europe.
Last July Turkey and Iran signed a preliminary agreement to export Iranian gas to Europe through Turkey, including a provision for Turkey to produce 20.4 billion cubic meters of natural gas in Iran’s huge South Pars gas field.
Ahmadinejad is on his first visit to Turkey since he took office in 2005. His two-day visit is at the invitation of Gül. Israel has criticized the visit, saying it was “unfortunate.” Israeli officials have made it known that they believe it is not a good idea to ascribe legitimacy to a leader who has called for the destruction of Israel and denies the Holocaust, especially at a time when Western powers are mulling fresh sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad thanked Gül for backing Iran’s legal rights on the nuclear issue and supporting efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the dispute and said his country also wanted a solution through dialogue. He also said his country was open to new proposals on resolving the dispute.
He did not say whether he was expecting new proposals after receiving a package of proposals last month from the European Union and six major world powers including the United States. Ahmadinejad said the row over his country’s nuclear program was simply an excuse for the United States to expose its bad intentions towards Iran. He also said it was unfair for some countries to have exclusive access to nuclear technology and deny the same right to other countries. “There will be no change in the will of the Iranian people,” he said.
Turkey has earlier said it was ready to mediate in the row over Iran’s nuclear row but Iranian side rejected any Turkish mediation, saying instead Turkey was acting as “intermediary.” Gül reiterated at the joint press conference that Turkey was ready to contribute to efforts to solution of the dispute through diplomatic means.
Ahmadinejad is being accompanied by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, Energy Minister Parviz Fattah, Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari and the head of the Organization of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei. Gül and Ahmadinejad both expressed the willingness to further boost the trade ties and Ahmadinejad said the volume of trade, estimated to reach $10 billion by the end of the year, will go up to $20 billion in four years.
But despite the progress in bilateral ties, the choice to invite him was a risky one, given the poor chances for a breakthrough in the nuclear row and the possibility of Ahmadinejad using his Turkey visit to launch a fresh salvo against Israel, Turkey’s regional ally.
In an interview aired on Wednesday Ahmadinejad launched a fresh verbal attack against Israel, saying the West should not support the Jewish state. “Western countries should not support them (Israel) so much. The life of this regime has come to an end,” Ahmadinejad said in the interview. There was no comment on Israel during the press conference with Gül.
Ahmadinejad visit paralyzes İstanbul traffic
Security measures were stepped up yesterday in İstanbul for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Turkey, leading to further deterioration in the city’s already problematic traffic situation.
Several roads from the Atatürk Airport to the Çırağan Palace were blocked, paralyzing city traffic at a number of points. Thousands of policemen were deployed on roads to ensure security, as well.
Airlines had to delay their flights for one hour, sparking annoyance amongst passengers. City commuters were also frustrated by yesterday’s blocked traffic and directed harsh criticism at the government for having exaggerated the security measures needed to protect the Iranian president.
Security sources, however, said the measures were not excessive. “We took the same measures in the past years when the heads of several states came to Turkey to attend a NATO meeting,” they noted.
source: Today’s Zaman
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