The foreign ministers of Germany and Turkey urged Iran today to study carefully a proposal aimed at halting atomic work that could produce nuclear weapons.
Germany is one of six major powers that met in Vienna yesterday to draw up the proposal, which also includes a threat of UN Security Council sanctions if Iran refuses to cooperate. Turkey is the only Nato member state bordering Iran.
"A new opportunity is before us. We hope it will be assessed calmly. We urged the Iranian side to do so in our talks with them," Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told a joint news conference with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Mr Gul said he had urged Tehran to co-operate with the world powers' proposal during a telephone conversation on Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
Diplomats say Mr Gul also discussed the Iran issue with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice by telephone yesterday.
"We hope Iran is aware that not escalating the problem is in its own interests," said Mr Steinmeier, who flew to Ankara for a one-day visit after the Vienna talks.
Mr Steinmeier said he believed Turkey and other countries in the region would continue to back the major powers in their drive to persuade Iran to co-operate over its nuclear programme. He declined to give details about the proposal agreed.
Apart from Mr Steinmeier, the foreign ministers of the five permanent UN Security Council members - the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain - attended the Vienna meeting.