By Xinhua,
Ankara : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Thursday arrived in Istanbul on a two-day visit to Turkey during which he is scheduled to discuss his country’s controversial nuclear programme, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
Ahmadinejad’s visit comes at a time of escalating tension between Iran and the West over Tehran’s enrichment activities.
Iran has been asked to respond to a European Union (EU) offer that required it to halt its nuclear programme in return for trade concessions and aid. But the Islamic country so far has not come up with any definite response to the EU demands.
Many countries in the West suspect that Iran has a nuclear weapons development programme in the guise of a nuclear power plan. Tehran has denied the charge but has refused to stop its enrichment activities.
According to the news agency, Ankara is expected to announce its role as a “facilitator” in a bid to resolve the controversy.
Ankara is planning to tell the Iranian leadership that Tehran has the right to carry on nuclear activities for peaceful purposes, while making a series of “suggestions” for ending the dispute, the news agency said.