Turkey: Gül excuses Iran's pursuit of nukes

Gül excuses Iran's pursuit of nukes, calls Israel 'a burden on its allies'

Learning from his party colleague, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that there's political capital to be gained by attacking Israel, Turkish President Abdullah Gül has defended Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons while calling Israel 'a burden on its allies.' This is from the first link (Hat Tip: Joshua I).

Turkish President Abdullah Gül has said empathy is required to understand the underlying reasons why Iran is so determined to continue with its suspected nuclear program despite sanctions that have hurt Iran’s economy.

“It is important to put oneself in their shoes and see how they perceive threats,” Gül told The Guardian, referring to Israel’s nuclear capability, which it has neither acknowledged nor denied. Gül’s questioning of Iran’s nuclear aspirations came a week after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released its most critical report on Iran’s nuclear program, claiming that there is evidence that Iran might be on its way to developing nuclear weapon capability.

Gül also said there are different groups and concentrations of power in Iran and that it is impossible to see them as one single authority, without elaborating on what elements he was referring to within the Iranian regime.

Turkey spearheaded sustained efforts last year to revive nuclear diplomacy between Western nations and Iran and a year ago it hosted talks regarding Iran’s nuclear program in İstanbul. Turkey’s efforts to bring Iran and Western powers together were at the expense of its image in the West and badly damaged its ties with the US.

The Turkish president said that for the sake of peace it is very important that dialogue between Iran and the West progresses in a more frank and transparent way. “When I say transparent I mean Iran, and when I say frank I mean the West,” he explained.

Gül added that Turkey is opposed to military options for dealing with the issue amid increasing threats from Israeli officials that it could strike Iran’s nuclear facilities if the Islamic republic does not relinquish its nuclear program. “Looking at the Middle East, one has to have a comprehensive approach [to disarmament],” he added. “A piecemeal approach would not yield the same results.”

Now, why didn't I think of that? Of course, it's just like the UN - one country one vote. And there's no difference at all between an apocalyptic Islamic regime that's threatened to wipe out another country getting nuclear weapons, and a democracy that's been rumored to have them for nearly 50 years having nuclear weapons. There's no difference at all between them - right?

And then Gül came up with this one:

Gül, speaking at a British think-tank during an official visit to Britain, said Israel has become a burden on its allies because of its current policies, lamenting that it builds houses in East Jerusalem despite promises that it is committed to peace with Palestinians. “Maybe not everyone says openly what they think, but you can hear it when microphones are accidentally left on,” he said, apparently referring to a recent conversation between US President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy during which the French leader called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “liar.”

“I can’t stand him anymore, he’s a liar,” Sarkozy said. “You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day,” Obama replied. The exchange, overheard by journalists, took place during a G-20 summit in Paris earlier this month.

Gül said Israel must analyze the new situation in the Middle East in the wake of the Arab Spring revolutions and called on the Jewish state to avoid policies that would antagonize neighboring Arab countries. “A suppressed anger is surfacing. Therefore, Israel should really adopt a strategic stance and agree on a return to the 1967 borders,” he said, referring to the boundaries that existed before a 1967 war Israel fought against several Arab states.

Gül also criticized Israeli domestic policies as “weird,” saying a 3 percent election threshold allows too many parties into parliament, making the country “ungovernable.”

Sure, we should go back to the indefensible Auschwitz borders, allow Fatah and Hamas to run in our elections, and then let them take control of our country like the AKP has done in Turkey. What could go wrong?

Labels: Abdullah Gul, Iranian nuclear threat, Turkish obsession with Israel

posted by Carl in Jerusalem