German expert rips West for torpedoing Tehran declaration

Berlin, May 22, IRNA -- A renowned German Middle East scholar here Friday lambasted western powers for undermining Turkish-Brazilian mediation efforts on the Iranian nuclear issue.

Talking to IRNA, Professor Udo Steinbach of Marburg University said the West has slammed the door on further talks with Iran by pressing ahead with new sanctions and also "discredited mediation efforts by important countries like Turkey and Brazil."

He pointed out relations between the West and Turkey as well as
Brazil have been "damaged" over the western refusal to back the Tehran nuclear fuel swap declaration, which would send low-enriched Iranian uranium to Ankara in exchange for enriched reactor fuel.

Referring to repeated calls by western countries like Germany, for a greater role of emerging countries like Brazil and Turkey in the international scene, Steinbach said the Iran nuclear impasse could have been "the first test" as to whether the West was serious in giving emerging nations a greater say in the global political arena.

The former director of the prestigious German Orient Institute said the West was merely paying lip service when it said it wanted to give emerging countries a greater role but in fact did not really mean it./end