Turkey’s PM says West treating Iran unfairly
Updated: Monday, October 26, 2009
Photographer: Wikipedia Commons
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's Prime Minister
11:30GMT—7:30AM/EST
Washington, 26 October (WashingtonTV)—Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Western powers of treating Iran unfairly over its nuclear program, in an interview with Britain’s Guardian newspaper published Monday.
The Turkish premier downplayed Western fears that Iran wants to build a nuclear bomb as “gossip”, and said any military strike against Iran would be “crazy”.
His comments come as a team of inspectors from the United Nations’ watchdog continues its inspection of a previously secret uranium enrichment facility near the city of Qom.
“There is a style of approach which is not very fair because those [who accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear arms] have very strong nuclear infrastructures and they don’t deny that,” Erdogan said.
“So although Iran doesn’t have a weapon, those who say Iran shouldn’t have them are those countries that do,” he added.
Erdogan, who is due in Tehran tonight for talks with Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, described the latter as a “friend”.
In recent years, Turkey has improved ties with Iran, and has sought to help resolve the nuclear standoff.
Erdogan said of Ahmadinejad: There is no doubt he is our friend … We have very good relations and have had no difficulty at all.”
Source: Guardian newspaper
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