Brazil, Turkey to join Iran nuclear talks

Brazil and Turkey seek to join the Group of Six world powers’ talks on Iran’s nuclear program, an adviser to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said.

The call comes one day after Iran announced that it had agreed to send some 1,200 kg of its 3.5 percent enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for a total of 120 kg of 20 percent uranium.

The P5+1 comprises of the five veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the US — plus Germany.

Marco Aurelio Garcia, Lula’s foreign affairs adviser, said at a EU-Latin America summit in Madrid that it was “normal and desirable” that a large part of the P5+1 negotiations were “open” to Brazil and Turkey, AFP reported.

AFP also quoted diplomats as saying on Tuesday that the UN Security Council will meet later Tuesday to discuss Iran’s nuclear issue.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton announced that Washington had reached an agreement with Russia and China on a “strong draft” resolution for new UN sanctions against Iran.

The remarks were made although both Beijing and Moscow have welcomed Iran’s nuclear declaration as an important step in finding a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue.