Turkey favors diplomacy on Iran nuclear case

After Iran held wide-ranging talks with the West on the basis of its latest package of proposals, Turkey moves to deplore a military intervention to solve Iran's nuclear case.

"In case of [nuclear] conflict [on Iran's nuclear program], Turkey believes that diplomacy comes first," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told Spanish newspaper El Pais.

"There should be no military intervention," he added.

Iranian representatives held seven-and-a-half hour talks with diplomats from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Russia, China, France, Britain and the US - plus Germany (P5+1) in Geneva on October 1 on global issues and the country's mutual concerns with the West.

The two sides also agreed to continue the talks through October.

In response to whether Turkey accepts a nuclear Iran, Davutoglu said, "Nuclear energy is a right for all countries. Iran can have the energy for peaceful aims in accordance with regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA]."

"Turkey wants a region free from nuclear weapons. I'm not saying that sanctions can not be an instrument but they will hurt the people of Iran and its neighboring states."

The remarks come as Iran has announced that the newly-announced Fordo nuclear facility is open to IAEA inspection.

The Fordo site is the country's second nuclear plant, after the Natanz facility in central Iran, which will enrich uranium to the 5 percent level suitable for power plant fuel.

In line with Iran's transparency policy over its nuclear activities, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali-Akbar Salehi invited the IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei to Tehran to set a date for the agency to inspect the under-construction Fordo nuclear facility.

ElBaradei said in Tehran on Sunday that the agency's inspectors would visit Fordo site, some 160 kilometers south of Tehran, on October 25.