FM Davutoglu denies tension with US over Iran swap deal
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday waved off media comments that a nuclear swap deal Iran agreed to with Turkey and Brazil has strained Ankara’s relations with the United States, saying US President Barack Obama’s policy of engagement paved the way for the Turkish efforts for a negotiated settlement. Iran on Monday formally presented a letter outlining the deal, co-sponsored by Turkey and Brazil, to the UN’s atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement released later in the day that the content of the letter was “positive and constructive.” But the United States appears to disagree. Although it hailed the diplomatic efforts of Turkey and Brazil, the White House has said the deal has not removed concerns over Iran’s nuclear program. The US and its allies also complain that Iran refuses to stop enriching uranium, something which could eventually enable it to produce nuclear weapons, and continue to push for sanctions against Iran in the UN Security Council. According to a Washington Post report, Obama spent more than an hour on the phone with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday explaining to him why the deal his country cut with Iran was “incongruous with a US push to isolate the Islamic republic over its nuclear program” and said the US push for sanctions would continue despite the deal. Davutoglu, however, said the telephone conversation was not as tense as was reported in the media. “On the contrary, it was a very constructive conversation during which both sides expressed their views,” he told reporters at a press conference. “Efforts to create tensions between Turkey and the United States will remain fruitless,” he added. He said the deal with Iran was not the success of Turkey and Brazil alone. “This is a success of the policy of engagement of Mr. Obama. This is a success of his vision of peace which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize,” said Davutoglu.