New round of diplomacy on Iran

Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim is visiting Turkey on Saturday as part of a renewed international diplomatic effort to resolve the crisis surrounding Iran's nuclear programme.

Mr. Amorim arrives in Turkey after Iran and the European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton have exchanged letters for reviving talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council as well as Germany.

During his visit , Mr. Amorim and his host Ahmet Davutoglu are expected to discuss the possible revival of talks with Iran as well as the possible Turkish-Brazilian role in a new round of negotiations, Turkish daily

Zaman reported on Friday. Iran had earlier unsuccessfully proposed inclusion of Turkey and Brazil in new negotiations with the six global powers.

In May, negotiations between Iran, Brazil and Turkey had resulted in the Tehran Declaration. Under this agreement, Iran would need to export to Turkey, the bulk of its domestically produced lightly enriched uranium. In return, it would receive medium enriched uranium needed for its Tehran research reactor engaged in producing isotopes required to treat cancer.

The global powers led by the United States had then rejected the deal and, instead, pushed for a new round of sanctions, opposed by Ankara and Brasilia, against Iran.

Mr. Amorim's visit is opening the diplomatic floodgates as a stream of European diplomats are arriving in Turkey to discuss the contours of new round of diplomacy surrounding Iran. Foreign Ministers from France, Germany and Britain are, separately, visiting Turkey between July 26 and 28. Analysts say that apart from Iran, discussions are also expected on Turkey's recently soured ties with Israel, the Israel-Palestinian issue, and Turkey's membership to the European Union (EU).

These visits have been preceded by Mr. Davutoglu's talks earlier this week with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. These meetings took place in Kabul on the sidelines of an international conference on Afghanistan.

Analysts say the Tehran declaration signed by Iran, Turkey and Brazil is an elaboration of the proposals made in October 2009 by the Vienna group comprising the United States, Russia and France during its meeting with Iran in the Austrian capital. The dialogue between Iran and the Vienna group has not been abandoned. On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucher Mottaki announced that Tehran has prepared its response to a new set of proposals handed over to Tehran by the Vienna group.