Burns says US is willing to work with Turkey on Iran

US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns yesterday said the US military withdrawal from Iraq did not mean the end of Washington's commitment to Iraq and its stability. Burns, who had talks with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and officials from the Foreign Ministry said prior to his departure from Ankara that Ankara and Washington shared concerns over Tehran's nuclear program. Stating that everybody is concerned about dangers of polarization, whether this is along sectarian lines, or other lines in the region, Burns said that Turkey offered a very important model of a state which has built a quite strong democracy and economy and contributed to stability in the region. Burns added that Washington had attached great importance to working with Ankara for the transformation of countries in the Arab world.  "It is in the interest of the US and Turkey to do everything they can to support Iraq's stability and political evolution and assist its efforts to avoid a reappearance of sectarian violence and tension," Burns said.