"A group of friends of Syria" became an apple of discord between Turkey and Iran
Earlier, Larijani sharply criticized the “Group of Friends of Syria”: he called it “the group of enemies” of this country. According to the Iranian speaker, the sole purpose of holding a meeting in Istanbul is to “let Israel take a breath.” Outraged, Larijani does not understand why the “Group of Friends of Syria”, which is concerned about the issue of democracy in the region, is silent about the dictatorship in Bahrain and in other countries.
The differences on Syria and the sharp remarks of Ali Larijani are likely to affect the prospect of holding a new round of talks between Iran and the international "six" intermediaries in the capital of Turkey on issues related to the Iranian nuclear program.
Earlier it was reported about the official consent of Iran to begin negotiations, appointing them on April 13. However, while not officially reported on the venue. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has proposed negotiations in Istanbul. In this regard, Tayyip Erdogan, the head of the Turkish government, during his visit to Iran, stated that the Turkish people and the government have always been on the side of the Islamic republic in the nuclear issue. The Turkish authorities intend to continue to adhere to this line.
However, the other day it became known about Iran’s desire to move the meeting to another place. Mohsen Rezai, a member of Iran’s political expediency council, said Tehran would prefer Baghdad, Beirut or Damascus as the place where the negotiations will take place.
Rezai explained this intention by saying that “Turkish friends” could not fulfill some agreements, and in this connection, the Iranian side believes that it would be better to hold negotiations between the “six” and Iran in “another friendly country”.
Many observers are confident that Tehran refused to hold talks in Turkey because Ankara, at the request of Washington, agreed to reduce imports of Iranian oil.
America insists that the new round of negotiations will be for Iran the last chance for a peaceful solution to the issue regarding its nuclear program. Earlier, during negotiations with Sergei Lavrov, it was precisely such a position that Hillary Clinton designated. She also asked the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry to bring this position to the Iranian leadership, with whom the US does not maintain relations. True, then Clinton denied such reports.
At the same time, US President Barack Obama has repeatedly threatened Tehran with a military strike if diplomatic and economic measures do not work.
However, serious American analysts have doubts about Obama’s fulfillment of his threat before the November elections. So, according to Ariel Cohen, a leading expert of Heritage Foundation, close to the Republican Party, a possible war against Iran will be one of the topics in the election campaign.
Apparently, Israel is ready to give Tehran the last chance, which has threatened Iran with a military strike more than once. Information appeared in the Israeli media, according to which a possible strike is postponed for at least the next year.
It is also reported that sanctions against Iran are beginning to bring results. In addition, the military declare that it is necessary to complete negotiations between the six Western countries and Tehran.
Meanwhile, Moscow prefers not to view the April meeting as a “last chance”. Sergei Ryabkov, deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in this regard, said that such statements are an indicator of lack of professionalism. Much depends on the political will, and Moscow is doing everything to strengthen it.
The previous round of talks between Tehran and the “five plus one” group was held in January at 2011 in Istanbul. Negotiations ended in vain, after which they broke off for more than a year.
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