An international dispute over Iran's nuclear program is expected to be one of the issues that will be raised when the British foreign secretary meets Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan and Foreign Minister in Ankara on Thursday.

Britain is a member of the European Union "trio" that called off negotiations with Iran last week on its nuclear program after Tehran removed U.N. seals on uranium enrichment equipment.

The trio, comprising Britain, France and Germany, is now pressing for referral of Iran to the U.N. Security Council and want smart sanctions on Iran.

Turkey, which says Iran has the right to acquire nuclear energy for peaceful purposes but opposes use of such energy for developing weapons, favors dialogue with Iran and diplomatic means to resolve the international dispute, rather than sanctions.

Officials say Turkey, as a geographical neighbor of Iran, has more sensitivities than any other country that opposes Iran's developing nuclear weapons.

European sources said Prime Minister Erdoðan was "too careful" in his rhetoric on Iran when he talked about the issue during a meeting with EU ambassadors in Ankara on Friday and that there was no "real criticism" of Iran's policies.
source:Turkishdailynews