Iran N-issue not resolvable by force

Turkish President Abdullah Gul says Iran’s standoff with the West over its “nuclear rights” will not be resolved through the application of force, a report says.

Turkey believes that “collaboration and interaction with the Islamic Republic will play an effective role in increasing peace and stability in the region,” IRNA quoted President Gul as saying on Wednesday during a meeting with Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi in Istanbul.

He further stressed the need for diplomacy concerning Iran’s nuclear issue and said, “Coercion and an application of force will not settle any issues as the Islamic Republic is entitled to the employment of peaceful nuclear energy.”

For his part, Rahimi lauded Iran-Turkey relations and said that the Islamic Republic seeks to boost ties with Turkey in all areas.

“Iran seeks to promote its value of trade with Turkey to around 30 billion dollars,” the Iranian official went on to say.

On various occasions, Turkey has thrown its weight behind Iran’s nuclear program and said that US-engineered sanctions against Iran in the UN Security Council will not undermine the Islamic Republic’s nuclear rights.

Iran maintains its insistence on exercising its legitimate rights to pursue a civilian nuclear program and has fiercely rejected Western allegations that it may be looking for nuclear armaments.