Turkey tells ally Israel it opposes Iran nukes

"Turkey is completely against the proliferation of nuclear weapons," Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told a joint news conference with his visiting Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni, replying to a question about Iran, Reuters information agency reports.

"We encourage cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and believe that especially countries signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) have a responsibility to act with full transparency."

The United States and its Western allies believe Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb, though Tehran insists its atomic programme is aimed solely at producing energy.

Predominantly Muslim but secular and non-Arab Turkey is the only NATO ally to share a border with Iran and it has trodden carefully in its approach to Tehran, with which it also has important energy and trade relations.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has met Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during recent gatherings of Islamic countries in Azerbaijan and in Indonesia. Diplomats say Erdogan has urged the Iranian leader to cooperate fully with the IAEA.

Ahmadinejad has publicly called for the destruction of Israel, in comments that drew condemnation from Turkish as well as U.S., European and other leaders.

Israel itself is widely believed to have nuclear weapons but has never confirmed or denied their existence and, unlike Iran, is not a party to the NPT.

Gul skated around this issue -- one often raised by critics of the Jewish state, especially in the Arab world.

"I do not say that this or that state has nuclear weapons, but we believe in a (Middle East) region that has good neighbourly relations and is free of nuclear weapons," he said.

Turkey is one of the few countries in the Muslim world to have strong trade and security ties with Israel, though the Jewish state expressed concern when senior leaders of Hamas visited Ankara in February after winning Palestinian elections.

Hamas refuses to accept Israel's right to exist.

Israel's Livni made no mention of the Hamas visit but she described Israeli-Turkish relations as "excellent". Gul said bilateral trade was poised shortly to double to $5 billion.

"I believe in open lines between our states, which share the same values of democracy," said Livni, who was also due to meet Erdogan and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer later on Monday.

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