Moratinos cree que el conflicto con Irán debe solucionarse satisfaciendo a ambas partes
Madrid, España. IRNA. 22 de febrero de 2007
Miguel Ángel Moratinos, ministro de Asuntos Exteriores de España, ha anunciado que su país se opone a toda vía conflictiva en el tema nuclear iraní, y ha declarado que este caso debe resolverse teniendo en cuenta a Irán y a las partes del expediente y por la vía de la diplomacia.
Moratinos ha hecho estas declaraciones en una reunión que ha mantenido con la comisión parlamentaria iraní, encabezada por Ala Al Din Boruyerdi, presidente de la comisión de Política Exterior y de Seguridad Nacional del Parlamento de Irán, que se encuentra de visita en Madrid.
Moratinos agregó: “Irán tiene derecho a la energía atómica para fines pacíficos, y el asunto nuclear se debe dirimir por la vía negociadora.”
A la vez, el jefe de Exteriores español calificó de “delicada” la actual situación de este expediente nuclear e insistió en la necesidad de que se sigan dando los esfuerzos para solucionar la crisis por la vía del diálogo.
Moratinos dijo sin ambages: “España se opone a la utilización de cualquier vía conflictiva y cree que el asunto nuclear de Irán se debe resolver por la vía del entendimiento mutuo y del diálogo.”
Moratinos recordó que Teherán tiene un papel importante en la instauración de la paz y en la estabilidad en la región y en el mundo.
Por su lado, Boruyerdi calificó de “beneficiosas” las conversaciones mantenidas con las autoridades españolas acerca de cuestiones diversas e insistió en la voluntad de Teherán para consolidar y desarrollar las relaciones con los países de la UE, entre ellos, España.
Tras insistir Boruyerdi en la naturaleza pacífica del programa nuclear de su país, se refirió a las negociaciones que mantuvo ayer Ali Lariyani con Mohamed ElBaradei en Viena, y manifestó: “Estamos dispuestos a mantener cualquier tipo de cooperación para solucionar el asunto nuclear a través de la negociación. Creemos que la suspensión del enriquecimiento de uranio carece de fundamente lógico y jurídico ya que según el artículo IV del Tratado de No Proliferación de armas nucleares (TNP) y demás convenciones y tratados internacionales, la explotación pacífica de la energía atómica es un derecho legítimo, legal y explícito de Irán.”
—> Moratinos. Exteriores. España. Boruyerdi. Programa. Nuclear.
22 Febrero 2007
Ankara and Tehran verbally agree to cooperate on oil and gas exploration and transfer of Turkmenistan's gas via the Iranian pipeline, a move that comes on the eve of latest UN deadline to impose tougher sanctions on Iran
FULYA ÖZERKAN
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News
Neighboring countries Turkey and Iran have verbally agreed to seal two separate deals in the sphere of energy, only a day before the U.N. deadline urging Tehran to freeze uranium enrichment or face broader sanctions expired.
The development came after talks between Turkey's Energy Minister Hilmi Güler and Iran's visiting Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on the sidelines of the Turkish-Iranian joint economic commission meeting late on Tuesday.
One of the planned agreements provides the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) with the opportunity to explore oil and natural gas in Iran, an offer Tehran has rejected for more than a decade, while the second is about the transfer of Turkmen natural gas via Iranian territory, a move that is expected to concern Washington which is against bypassing the Caspian in terms of gas transfer.
Turkish and Iranian officials will hammer out the details on March 22 when Iran's Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh pays an official visit to Ankara. But Turkish Energy Ministry sources, speaking with the Turkish Daily News, sounded cautious, saying that it was a long process and that for the deals to be acted upon there is a need to set up committees made up of both Turkish and Iranian officials for further negotiations to discuss the details.
Mottaki turned his Ankara trip into an occasion to bolster ties with Turkey at every sphere. He met with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül and Energy Minister Güler. The Iranian minister co-chaired the joint economic commission meeting between the two countries. Sources families with the joint economic commission meetings expressed surprise that Iran was represented at such a high level at the meeting. State Minister for Foreign Trade Kürşad Tüzmen represented the Turkish side.
After the joint commission meeting, Güler announced that Turkey and Iran were on the way of turning a new page on energy cooperation, according to Iranian News Agency (IRNA). The Turkish minister delivered positive messages, saying that Ankara and Tehran agreed to establish a joint natural gas-powered electricity generation plant on the Turkish-Iranian border.
Washington on watch:
U.S. diplomatic sources here played down concerns over the planned agreement between Ankara and Tehran, saying that the agreement has not yet been signed. But the sources said Washington was closely watching developments on the issue.
Iran faces tougher sanctions from the international community due to its insistence to push ahead with the disputed nuclear program. Tehran yesterday defied the latest U.N. deadline to suspend sensitive atomic activities, saying that his country's nuclear drive was vital for its future.
To the displeasure of the United States, the verbal agreement between Ankara and Tehran foresees the transfer of the Turkmen gas through the Iranian pipeline, which will help both the Turkmen and Iranian gas to be transferred to Turkey and finally to Europe.
The public announcement of the Turkish-Iranian willingness to cooperate on energy came just two weeks after Foreign Minister Gül's visit to the United States. Washington backs energy projects aimed at transferring Turkmen gas supplies through the Caspian.
More than a week ago, a U.S. delegation led by Matt Bryza, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, and Daniel S. Sullivan, assistant secretary, had talks both in Istanbul and in the Turkish capital at the Turkish-U.S. Economic Partnership Commission.
The delegation made clear once more that the United States backs a pipeline project transferring natural gas through the Caspian Sea, instead of the Iranian pipeline, from which Turkey receives gas supplies. Ahead of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to energy-rich Turkmenistan last week, the U.S. delegation conveyed to the Energy Ministry the U.S. position on the transfer of energy.
22 Febrero 2007
