Arab, Turkish officials slam possible strike against Iran as disasterFebruary 5, 2012 - 17:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Arab and Turkish officials slammed talk of a military strike against Iran, saying Sunday, Feb 5, it would be a disaster for the region and calling for renewed negotiations, while also urging the international community to keep pressure on Syria to end the bloodshed there. The Associated Press reports that in the wake of suggestions that military strikes are an increasing possibility if sanctions fail to rein in Iran's nuclear program, Qatar's minister for international cooperation told a gathering of the world's top security and defense officials that Arab nations rejected the idea. "Knowing the region very well, I think this is not a solution," Khaled al-Attiyah said at the Munich Security Conference. He also dismissed the idea of tightening sanctions further, saying that negotiations with Iran were needed "to get out of this dilemma." So far, the West is relying primarily on the threat of economic sanctions to pressure Iran over its nuclear program. Washington and its allies fear Iran could use its uranium enrichment labs - which make nuclear fuel - to eventually produce weapons-grade material. Tehran insists it only seeks reactors for energy and medical research. Ahmet Davutoglu, the foreign minister of Turkey - Iran's neighbor to the north - said the international community was discussing three approaches toward Tehran at the moment: negotiations, sanctions or military action. "From our perspective the worst is the military option, the best is negotiations," he said, adding that further sanctions could hinder negotiations. "The military option will create a disaster in our region," he added. The two spoke in a panel discussion on "the new Middle East" where much of the focus was on the international outrage over a devastating bombardment of the Syrian city of Homs by President Bashar Assad's forces. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenia Security Council chief traveling to Qatar Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan will travel on a working visit to Qatar. Armenian Foreign Minister regrets “tragic loss” of Iranian counterpart The Armenian Foreign Ministry has expressed shock over the death of the Iranian President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Armenian PM sends condolences to Iran Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a message of condolence to the Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei. Armenia, Turkey discuss restoration of historic bridge The meeting took place on May 17 in Ashgabat on the sidelines of an international conference of ministers of culture. |