TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran and Turkey need more time to finalize a major natural gas deal, President Abdullah Gul said Saturday, playing down reports that US pressure on Turkey to abandon the project is behind the delay.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s just-ended visit to Turkey, a NATO ally that is also aspiring to the membership in the European Union (EU), yielded fruits in countering US efforts to set a diplomatic blockade over Tehran, analysts said.

While a partial pullout of Russian forces may be underway in Georgia, there was still plenty of military activity to keep observers busy. Georgia has accused the Russians of setting forest fires near Tbilisi, digging into positions near the capital, and occupying key villages and a power station.