TURKISH PM TO CONVEY IRAN’S MEDIATION REQUEST TO OBAMA IN APRIL

Hurriyet
Feb 25 2009
Turkey

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview published Tuesday
that Iran has asked Turkey to help it resolve its decades-long dispute
with the United States. Erdogan said he would pass the message to
U.S. President Barack Obama at a G20 summit in April.

The Iranian request had been made when former president George W. Bush
was in office, Erdogan told The Guardian aboard the prime ministerial
plane during a local election campaign trip to the southeastern
province of Mardin.

The Turkish prime minister said he had passed along the details of
Tehran’s message to Washington at the time.

Erdogan added he was considering raising the matter with Obama, who has
said he wants to engage with Iran at the G20 summit in London in April.

"Iran does want Turkey to play such a role. And if the United States
also wants and asks us to play this role, we are ready to do this. They
(the Iranians) said to us that if something like this (an opportunity
for rapprochement) would happen, they want Turkey to play a role,"
Erdogan said when asked if Turkey could play a mediating role in
overcoming the mistrust between Washington and Tehran.

"These were words that were said openly. But I have told this to
President Bush myself," he added.

Erdogan said in November Turkey could play a positive role if it were
to act as a mediator in the stalled negotiations with Iran over its
disputed nuclear program.

Washington has previously reacted skeptically to Turkish proposals to
mediate with Tehran. However, the idea may be given fresh consideration
by the Obama administration, which has set up a sweeping policy review
policy after the president promised to reach out if Iran "unclenched
its fist", The Guardian wrote.

CRITICISM OVER ISRAEL

Erdogan also renewed his criticism of Israel’s recent offensive in
Gaza and challenged the Israeli prime minister-designate, Binyamin
Netanyahu, to recognize Palestinians’ right to have their own state.

"We are always telling them (Hamas) to act differently, that we
are for a two-state solution: Palestine and Israel," he told the
newspaper. "They have to accept this, but Israel also has to accept
Palestine," he added.

"Is Israel right now accepting Palestine? They are still not accepting
them. But it is being expected of the Palestinian people to accept
Israel. Now go and ask Mr. Netanyahu if he is accepting Palestine,"
Erdogan said.

The Turkish prime minister said an Israeli-Palestinian settlement
had to include Hamas, which he called the party of "change and reform".

He also condemned Israel’s recent onslaught as disproportionate. "Hamas
doesn’t have any planes. Hamas doesn’t have any tanks or artillery,
and with the use of disproportionate force Gaza was being put under
fire," he said.

"One thousand, one hundred and 30 people have died. We have more than
5,500 injured. Who is going to ask: what has happened here and who
is going to pay the price for this?" he said.

ARMENIA RESOLUTION

Erdogan also said he did not believe that the U.S. pro-Israel lobby
would retaliate by lifting its opposition to a congressional resolution
recognizing the Armenian "genocide" claims.

During last year’s election campaign, Obama had pledged to recognize
the Armenian claims.

"I believe the United States feels and knows the importance of
Turkey within the region more than some people who do not understand
this. The so-called Armenian genocide is not an issue that can affect
Turkey-American relations in a very strong way. I don’t believe the
U.S. Congress would take a decision based on emotions. It should be
left to historians," Erdogan told The Guardian.