Turkey backs U.A.E. over Gulf islands

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, April 28 (UPI) -- Turkish Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan called on Iran to hasten its resolution of disputes with the United Arab Emirates over three Persian Gulf islands.

Toptan said during a meeting with officials from the United Arab Emirates that he would call on his Iranian counterpart, Ali Larijani, to move quickly on resolving lingering acrimony over the islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb, The National newspaper in the United Arab Emirates reports.

"Within the next six months, I will meet the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Ali Larijani, and ask for the speeding up of reaching a solution," Toptan said.

In March the United Arab Emirates repeated its assertion that the three islands were under Iranian occupation, sparking a renewed row over the issue.

Iran, for its part, claimed control over the islands following the departure of British forces in 1971.

However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said in mid-April that U.A.E. claims on the island were baseless.

"They belong to Iran and will remain Iranian forever," he said.

Toptan said the time for resolving the issue was long overdue, however.

"Our area is tired of disputes throughout history," Toptan said.