ISTANBUL – Iran warned Russia yesterday against siding with Tehran’s enemies in supporting fresh UN sanctions over its nuclear dispute with the West.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s latest admonishment of Moscow, until recently an ally, came a day before the UN security council could vote to impose a fourth round of sanctions, which Russia is expected to support.
“There is no big problem, but they must be careful not to be on the side of the enemies of the Iranian people,” Mr Ahmadinejad told a news conference in Istanbul, where he was attending a summit along with Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin.
Tehran and Moscow recently clashed over Kremlin support for draft UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Mr Putin, who was to meet Mr Ahmadinejad yesterday on the sidelines of the conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asiain Istanbul, said the security council resolution has been "practically agreed" but that sanctions should not be "excessive".
“The president of Iran is here and I think we will see each other within the framework of the conference,” Mr Putin told a joint news conference with host prime minister Tayyip Erdogan.
“We will have an opportunity to discuss these problems if my Iranian colleague will have such a need,” he said. “I hold the opinion that this resolution should not be excessive, should not put Iran’s leadership, the Iranian people in a tricky situation that creates barriers on the way of development of Iran’s peaceful nuclear energy.”
The Iranian president said a nuclear fuel-swap deal agreed by Tehran with Turkey and Brazil was an opportunity that would not be repeated. The deal, which has been rejected by the West as too little too late, was intended to defuse the crisis.
Turkey and Brazil last month resurrected parts of a UN-backed offer for Tehran to part with 1,200kg of low-enriched uranium – which is potential nuclear weapons material – in return for special fuel rods for a medical research reactor.
The United States and other powers have rejected the deal and submitted extended sanctions to the security council last month for approval.
Turkey and Brazil, both in the 15-member security council, say their deal with Iran removes the need for sanctions, as it created a diplomatic opening to tackle larger issues surrounding Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Turkish president Abdullah Gul urged Mr Ahmadinejad on Monday to tell the international community his government was ready to co-operate and solve the dispute over its nuclear programme.
Israel’s raid last week on a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza has overshadowed the Istanbul summit, which would normally attract little attention.
Turkey will use the summit to urge its Middle Eastern and Asian neighbours to step up pressure on Israel over the killing of nine Turks, which has brought Turkey-Israel ties close to breaking point.
Israel has already rejected a United Nations call for an international inquiry into its seizure of the ship, but Turkey is not giving up.
Until recently, Turkey had largely avoided getting embroiled in conflicts in its eastern backyard as it pursued its goal of joining the European Union.
But Mr Erdogan’s strident criticism of Israel and his championing of the Palestinian cause after an Israeli offensive in Gaza in 2008 has turned him into a hero in the Middle East. – (Reuters)