By IRNA,
Berlin : The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton called for Turkey’s mediation on Iran, German press agency DPA reported from Brussels Monday.
Ashton has reportedly asked the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davotuglu to assist her in establishing direct talks with Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.
A non-permanent member on the UN Security Council, Turkey suggested last week Ashton could have another try at direct talks with Tehran.
Ashton who assumed office as the EU’s top diplomat last December, has yet to be mandated by the 5 plus 1 group (the US, Russia, Britain, China, France and Germany) to hold talks with the Iranian side.
The EU foreign policy official said the West is still pursuing “double track” strategy with Tehran, indicating it is open to dialogue and cooperation while at the same time threatening with stepped up sanctions, if Teheran does not cave in to the western pressure.
Contrary to western claims there is mounting international support for Iran’s nuclear position.
Some 118 members states of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) have backed Iran’s stance in a recent statement, rejecting the confrontational posturing
of the West over Tehran’s nuclear program.
The NAM declaration strongly opposed the western sanction policy vis-a-vis Iran by stressing the need for dialogue and diplomacy as the only way to achieve a lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute.
Many influential countries in the world like Brazil, India and Turkey, have sided with Iran amid ongoing US and European arm-twisting tactics.