Turkish president sends message of U.S. sincerity to Iran - official

"We will consider with the utmost of care, all the information that comes from the Turkish government," U.S. Ambassador to Ankara James Jeffrey told in an interview with Radikal daily.Â

President Abdullah Gul met Wednesday his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, where he came to attend the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit.Â

Gul conveyed to Tehran a message that the U.S. is "serious on talking about issues like Afghanistan and Iraq," Jeffrey said, adding that his country wanted to extend its hand to countries like Iran and Syria.

"The U.S. could gradually establish diplomatic relations with Iran if Tehran takes positive steps regarding its nuclear program, aggressive rhetoric against Israel, and support to international terrorism," the message also said 

Gul expressed optimism after his meetings in Tehran and said that ties between the U.S. and Iran would improve as both countries have the good will for bettering relations. He also praised the new U.S. administration, saying that President Barack Obama, who showed that his team would "listen to every one and establish dialogue regarding problems", was pursuing a very different approach from his predecessor.

Turkey has said it would weigh any requests by both Iran and the United States to serve as a mediator between the two sides after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington would seek Ankara’s assistance for Obama's plan to engage Tehran.

Ahmadinejad, however, said Wednesday there is no need for Turkish mediation to improve relations with the United States. Khamenei also said the new U.S. administration was showing no sign of trying to correct its predecessor's "big mistakes" in the region, including Afghanistan.

The Obama administration has decided to open the door to the possibility of direct engagement with Tehran. The United States has said it intended to invite Iran to an international meeting later this month to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, which is struggling with an Islamist insurgency.

 

The U.S. and Iran have not had diplomatic ties for three decades and are now embroiled in a row over Tehran's nuclear program. The West suspects Iran of trying to build a nuclear bomb under guise of a peaceful atomic energy program, a charge Tehran rejects.Â