'Iran is not sincere in nuclear talks'

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has slammed Iran after Tehran proposed Baghdad and China as venue for a new round of nuclear talks with world powers, instead of ?stanbul, saying Tehran is not being honest, Today's Zaman reported.

Erdo?an told reporters on Thursday that Iran's proposal for a new venue was an untenable demand that would sabotage the planned talks. "The offer going round at the moment, Damascus or Baghdad, is a waste of time, it means it won't happen, because they know the other side won't come to Damascus or Baghdad," Erdo?an told a news conference in Ankara.

"[Iran] needs to be honest," Erdo?an said, adding that they are constantly losing prestige in the world by not being honest.

Turkish prime minister also added that Iran's language is not a diplomatic one and that speaking in that language would not fit to his ethics.

Iran has balked at having the negotiations in ?stanbul because of Turkey's escalating pressure on the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a key Iranian ally.

Head of the parliamentary committee for national security and foreign policy, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said on Thursday that he supported Baghdad as a venue, one of several alternative sites floated by Iran in recent days. Iraq's Shiite-led government has long-standing ties with Iran, and other sites mentioned by Iran - Syria, Lebanon or China - are also allies of Tehran.


/Trend/