Brazil writes to Western leaders on Iran

Amid intensified Western efforts for new sanctions against Iran, the Brazilian president writes to his US, French and Russian counterparts underlining the importance of a fuel swap declaration by Tehran.

Brazilian president’s spokesman Marcelo Baumbach told reporters in the capital of Brasilia on Wednesday that the letter by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was delivered on Tuesday to US President Barack Obama, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev, AFP reported.

According to the spokesperson, the letter sought to promote a diplomatic solution, “so as not to lose the opportunity created by the Tehran declaration.”

He added that Brazil intended to “prevent from closing, the door that was opened with the Tehran declaration.”

Mexican President Felipe Calderon and the Union of South American Nations were other recipients of the letter.

Following talks between Iran, Turkey and Brazil, a nuclear declaration was issued on May 17 based on which Tehran announced readiness to send some 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for a total of 120 kg of higher enriched uranium.

The declaration came as part of an earlier plan to supply fuel to the Tehran Research Reactor, which produces medical isotopes for cancer patients.

Despite Iran’s consent to ship out its uranium — which has been the core issue of disputes — the US announced that the six major powers had reached an agreement on a strong draft that calls on the Islamic Republic to suspend its uranium enrichment activities or face further UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions.

As brokers of the fuel swap declaration, Brazil and Turkey — both non-permanent members of the UNSC — have been seeking to help implement the nuclear declaration.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also sent a letter to President Obama on Friday, urging him to embrace the important opportunity provided by the declaration.