WASHINGTON D.C. - ''Turkey, as well as a number of other of Iran's neighbors are very concerned about what's happening inside Iran and Iranian behavior,'' said Sean McCormack, spokesman for the U.S. State Department, on Wednesday.
When asked during the daily press briefing whether the planned visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the United States was connected with Turkey's acting as a mediator on the Iranian issue, McCormack said, ''I don't think I'd make any particular connection there.''
''Turkey as well as a number of other of Iran's neighbors are very concerned about what's happening inside Iran and Iranian behavior. Certainly we would encourage Turkey as well as other countries around the world to contact Iran directly and urge them to take the pathway of negotiation, to urge them to consider very carefully the proposal that has been laid out before them,'' he added.