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 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". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Russia provides info about arrested Armenian ex-MP Russian law enforcement agencies have provided information about the arrest of Tigran Urikhanyan. Lemkin Institue slams Pashinyan's “cryptic engagement with Genocide denial” The Lemkin Institute is alarmed over Pashinyan’s statements “questioning Armenia's legal basis to pursue justice against Turkey”. 41 detained as antigovernment protests continue in Yerevan 41 people were detained in Yerevan as people demanding Pashinian’s resignation stage campaigns of civil disobedience. Armenia votes for UN resolution granting Palestine new rights The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 10 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine. |