ISTANBUL - the Iran could try to exploit growing commercial ties with the Turkey, a neighbour with a booming economy, to circumvent international sanctions aims to force him to stop his efforts suspected of making nuclear weapons, an official of the Department of the Treasury of the United States said Wednesday.
The warning reflected the concerns of U.S. that the Turkey could become a vulnerable link to isolate the Iran, which is under four series of the United Nations Security Council sanctions, mainly to challenge the demands of the Council to halt uranium enrichment. The Turkey is committed to abide by the resolutions of the United Nations, although it differed with the U.S. position on the Iran and willing to develop energy and other business ties with its neighbor.
"As trade, develop relationships, the risk of abuse by the Iran develops at the same time," David s. Cohen, acting for terrorism and financial intelligence Undersecretary, told a press conference at the Consulate of the United States in Istanbul.
"The Iran has a review of the use of deceptive practices to facilitate its proliferation activity, and he tries to hide in a broad stream of commerce transactions they need to continue their nuclear program and ballistic missile program"said Cohen."
Cohen delivered his message to senior officials of the Government and the leaders of the banking sector on a two-day visit. He did not offer a direct assessment of the implementation of the Turkey of the sanctions, but stressed that its financial sector was "working to protect them" from illegal activities have been by the Iran, and that the authorities last month seized an Iranian aircraft destined for Syria he said was transporting weapons.
In this incident, the Turkey said that he seized the cargo of an Iranian aircraft because the shipment violated UN sanctions. Turkish media, said that the plane was carrying light weapons, including automatic rifles, rocket launchers and mortars.
The Turkey, the largest Muslim ally in NATO, has worked closely with Washington in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it has also sought to strengthen ties with the Iran, which explains the UN sanctions are "illegal" and that he has the right to develop peaceful nuclear energy. Last year, the Turkey and the Brazil became only two members of the Security Council of the United Nations to vote against a measure to the U.S. to impose new sanctions against the Iran because of its disputed nuclear program.
The two countries negotiated a fuel-swap agreement with the Iran which has been as an alternative to the West of the risk of enrichment of uranium in Tehran. Enriched uranium can be used to fuel a reactor to produce electricity, which Iran said for its program. But if uranium is still enriched to about 90 percent purity, it can be used to develop a nuclear warhead.
The vote of the evil Council relations between the United States and the Turkey, which allowed a fruitless round of talks between the Iran and the world powers in Istanbul in January.
In February, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said that annual trade with the Iran had reached $ 10 billion and the objective was to reach $ 30 billion in the next few years. However, a Turkish business group said that the sanctions took their toll on cross-border trade.
"Companies are reluctant to work between the Turkey and the Iran, even for the goods outside of categories of the embargo," said Ozcan Alas, President of the Iran and the Middle Eastern Trade Development Association, based in Istanbul. "The Turkey interfere so that trade has shifted to illegal mountain areas." Turkey keeps saying, ' you cannot buy and sell it that,' while the Iran applies a tariff of horrible customs protection. ?
Cohen said it is vital that Turkish banks to refrain from doing business with Iranian banks or institutions suspected of proliferation activities. He said that Bank Mellat the Iran had been found to participate in illicit activities by the United States, the European, Japan, South Korea and other nations, and that the Bank and its branches in Turkey should be isolated "absolutely."
Bank Mellat website said there 1 815 branches within the Iran and four subsidiaries abroad - in South Korea, Istanbul, the Turkish capital, Ankara, and the West coastal city of Izmir. It has subsidiaries in Armenia and London.
Total gross profit of foreign branches and subsidiaries was $ 77 million in fiscal year 2009-2010, the Bank says.
____
Associated Press writer Ceren Kumova helped Ankara, Turkey.
没有评论:
发表评论