PanARMENIAN.Net

U.S. call on Turkey and other states to "sacrifice" their business
ties with Iran
20.09.2007 16:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The United States called on Turkey and other
countries on Wednesday to "sacrifice" their business ties with Iran to
help prevent Tehran from possibly obtaining nuclear weapons.

Iran has defied diplomatic pressure led by the United States and
European allies to halt uranium enrichment. Major powers are due to
meet in Washington on Friday to discuss a third UN Security Council
resolution to toughen sanctions on Tehran.

"The issue of Iran becoming possibly a nuclear weapons power is so
important that each country has to make sacrifices,"
U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told reporters in Ankara.

Washington is concerned by NATO ally Turkey’s announcement that it
planned to boost energy cooperation with Iran and invest $3.5 billion
in its South Pars gas field starting next year.

"We do not think it makes sense to announce long-term oil and gas
deals at a time when Iran is going ahead with nuclear weapons
research," Burns said.

"Business as usual is not the right policy because business as usual
allows Iran to escape pressure we think is needed to convince Iran to
come to the negotiating table," he said.

"We are not singling out Turkey for criticism or attention. This is a
general U.S. and West European message to many other countries," he
said – also mentioning Japan, South Korea and India — before talks
with senior Turkish officials expected to focus mainly on Iran.

He said U.S. businesses had made sacrifices by not doing business with
Iran and other countries should follow suit, Reuters reports

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress