Gulf Times – Majority in Europe, US prefer diplomatic solution to Iran issue

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Majority in Europe, US prefer diplomatic solution to Iran issue

A large majority of people in the Europe and the US favour resolving the volatile Iran nuclear issue through diplomatic channels, a new survey has found. As many as 84% of Europeans and 79% of US Citizens feel that the dispute should be resolved via Diplomacy, an annual survey of European and American public Opinion, ‘transatlantic trends’, said. However, if diplomacy failed, 53% of Americans and 45% of Europeans would support military action to keep Iran from acquiring nuclear arms, Press Trust of India reported.

The survey also claimed that support for north Atlantic Treaty organisation (NATO) has plummeted sharply among Europeans, particularly in countries once considered the Staunchest supporters of the alliance- Germany, Italy, Poland and Turkey. Turkey, a key member of Nato due to its strategic location, has increasingly cooled towards its US and European Allies while it has warmed up to Iran, it said. In a 100-point thermometer scale of friendly feelings, Turkish attitudes toward the US fell to 20 degrees from 28 Degrees in the past two years. Over the same period, feelings toward Iran increased to 43 degrees from 34 degrees, the survey, which was published in the Herald Tribune on Wednesday, said.These two trends - changing attitudes among Turks and Declining support for Nato - have accelerated since the Terrorist attacks on the US five years ago and the subsequent US-led invasion of Iraq.