Turkey tells Rice it opposes military option

According to the Turkey's The New Anatolian edition, Sezer clearly outlined Turkey's perspective to Rice on the Iranian nuclear crisis, diplomatic sources said yesterday. Stressing that the Iranian government has unavoidable responsibilities, including full transparency about its nuclear program and full cooperation with the United Nations, Sezer went on to say that Turkey wants a peaceful diplomatic resolution to the crisis. "We already have many serious problems in the region. There has been no real improvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or in the situation in Iraq. Problems persist in the Caucasus. This region cannot bear another large crisis," Sezer told Rice.

According to diplomats, Rice warned Sezer about the serious threat Iran would pose if it were to develop a nuclear bomb, and further stressed that what the U.S. administration is trying to do is reach a peaceful diplomatic solution. "But in order to reach that goal, the international community should speak as one voice, and there should not be any deviations encouraging Tehran to avoid its responsibilities," Rice told Sezer. The U.S. secretary of state also asked for support for U.S.-led initiatives to increase pressure on Tehran to meet U.N. expectations with its nuclear program.

Sezer, who has largely ceremonial powers but can influence major security decisions, opposed U.S. plans to invade Iraq due to the lack of a UN resolution authorizing the use of force.

Ankara has important trade and economic relations with neighboring Iran and is concerned about the possibility of sanctions being imposed by the UN Security Council. The volume of trade between the two countries reached $604.16 million in the first two months of this year alone, 23.8 percent higher than the year before.

But Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is also critical of the idea of a possible military operation against Iran, told the press last month that Turkey does not favor sanctions and will abide by the decisions of the UN Security Council on Iran.