Turkey says a military attack on Iran would be “disastrous” for the Middle East.
Reuters reports that in a speech to the Munich Security Conference, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu told a gathering of security officials and diplomats: “A military option will create a disaster in our region. So before that disaster, everybody must be serious in negotiations. We hope soon both sides will meet again but this time there will be a complete result.”
He maintained that “strong political will and mutual confidence” could lead to a positive resolution or Iran’s nuclear disputes in a short time. “The technical disputes are not so big. The problem is mutual confidence and strong political will,” Davutoğlu said.
Iran’s last meeting with the G5+1, last year in Turkey, ended in an impasse. Since then, nuclear negotiations have not resumed, and world powers have turned more toward sanctions and, in some cases, threats of military invasion.
The United States and the European Union are concerned that Iran’s nuclear program might have a military component, but Iran insists that all its nuclear activities are peaceful.
While European countries have not shown support for a military intervention in Iran, the U.S. and Israel have repeatedly announced that a military attack on Iran is still on table for them.
On Thursday, the Washington Post quoted U.S. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta on the “likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June.” Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barack remarked on that same day that if sanctions against Iran fail to affect its nuclear program, a military strike against the country should be considered.
On Sunday however, Barack Obama, the US president was quoted by Reuters as saying that he did not believe that Israel has made any concrete decision to attack Iran.
