French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy branded Iran’s nuclear programme for the first time on Thursday as a ”clandestine, military” project.
In response to sharp protests from Iran, however, France’s foreign ministry reiterated Paris’s official position, which is that Tehran’s nuclear activities ”raise doubts about their peaceful nature”.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Agnes Romatet-Espagne did not repeat the terms ”clandestine” and ”military”, which Douste-Blazy employed in an early morning television interview.
”It’s very simple: no civilian nuclear programme can explain Iran’s nuclear programme,” Douste-Blazy told France 2 television, two days after Tehran confirmed it was resuming sensitive uranium enrichment work.
”Therefore it’s a clandestine military nuclear programme.”
Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani insisted following the comments that Tehran was not seeking a nuclear weapon, saying he regretted the apparent hardening of the French position.
Douste-Blazy’s allegations were the first time a top European official has made such explicit claims against Tehran and highlighted increasing EU exasperation over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
The exact nature of Iran’s nuclear ambitions — Tehran insists that it intends only to generate civilian nuclear power — has sparked an international stand-off which has led to the brink of United Nations Security Council intervention.
Earlier this month the United States and a European Union troika made up of Britain, France and Germany persuaded the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to report Iran to the Security Council for action.
The world body is awaiting a March 6 report by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei before deciding how to proceed.
”Firstly, the international community has sent a very strong message to the Iranians: show reason, suspend all nuclear activities and uranium enrichment,” Douste-Blazy said, adding: ”And they’re not listening to us. That is the reason why, for the first time for days, the international community is united. It’s not just the Europeans — France, Germany and the British — it’s also Russia and China.” – AFP
