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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Xinhua: Iran seeks diplomatic breakthrough amid standoff with West |
| 2008-08-18 |
| Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's just-ended visit to Turkey, a NATO ally that is also aspiring to the membership in the European Union (EU), aims to breach a diplomatic blockade set up by the United States and other Western nations, analysts said. The two-day working visit, which ended on Friday, came amid escalating tensions between Tehran and the West due to Iran's controversial nuclear program. "Iran hopes to make a good use of its advantages in geopolitics, energy and religion to expand relations with all sides and build up anti-U.S. strength," said Zhao Qinghai, a research fellow with the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS). Turkey has recently improved ties with Iran and argues that its close dialog both with the West and Tehran could be an asset for a peaceful resolution of the international standoff over Iran's nuclear program. Nevertheless, analysts said Turkey, which is completely dependent on energy imports to quench its increasing thirst for oil and gas, may have played up the nuclear issue to deflect criticism over inviting Ahmadinejad, whose country is currently Turkey's second biggest supplier of gas after Russia. The failure to forge a deal to boost Iran's gas supplies to Turkey was a blow to Tehran's diplomatic efforts to avoid international isolation, they said. "Iran's diplomatic efforts have achieved some results, which partly dispelled pressures from the United States," said Zhao, the CIIS research fellow. "But due to geopolitical, historical and religious reasons and Iran's hard-line stance on the nuclear issue, its diplomatic efforts are still confronted with challenges." |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #2 OOPSIES, forgot PAYVAND [paraph] > US SEEKS DISMANTLING OF IRAN's NUCLEAR FACILITIES, NOT JUST TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF ENRICHMENT. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-08-18 23:13 |
| #1 See also IRANIAN.WS OP-ED > BIG THREE [Russ, China, India]BLOCK US ATTACK ON IRAN. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-08-18 23:11 |