Lauding Turkey and Brazil's efforts on ıran nuke issue, G-8 calls for end to Israeli siege on Gaza

In Toronto, Canada over the weekend, the leading eight industrial democracies praised Brazil and Turkey's diplomatic overtures to Iran, even if they have been rejected by other members of the international community. Brazil and Turkey were the only two members of the UN Security Council to vote against the most recent set of sanctions on Iran. "Our goal is to persuade Iran's leaders to engage in a transparent dialogue about its nuclear activities and to meet Iran's international obligations," the final communiqué by the G-8 – the US, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia – said. "We strongly support the ongoing efforts in this regard by China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union High Representative, and we welcome their commitment to the resolution of all outstanding issues through negotiation. We also welcome and commend all diplomatic efforts in this regard, including those made recently by Brazil and Turkey on the specific issue of the Tehran Research Reactor." Expressing regret over the deaths of nine Turkish peace activists in last month's Israeli raid of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, the statement also called for Israel to lift its siege of Gaza, and to restart peace talks with the Palestinian National Authority. In related news, an Israeli paper reported that when US President Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early next month, he is expected to press the Israeli government to completely lift its blockade of Gaza, which he sees as "unacceptable collective punishment."