Posted on 01/22/2006 3:51:41 PM PST by Cornpone
TEHRAN, Jan 22, 2006 (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac came under attack in Iran Sunday after warning that France could use nuclear arms against state sponsors of terrorism, with officials in the Islamic republic branding the remark "shameful" and "unacceptable".
"It is shameful for the people of France that their president brandishes atomic weapons on the pretext of fighting terrorism," said Gholam Ali Hadad-Adel, speaker of Iran's right-wing parliament.
On Thursday, Chirac for the first time raised the threat of a nuclear strike on any state that launches "terrorist" attacks against France.
Although he did not single out any country, the warning could be intrepreted as including Iran -- frequently accused of sponsoring terrorism and under pressure over its disputed nuclear programme.
But Hadad-Adel said the French president was merely "trying to restore the prestige of France after the recent unrest, when young people took to the streets and torched hundreds of cars every night."
"The French need to make an effort to remove the shame of the the massacre of millions of Algerians, France's support for Saddam Hussein and the massacres in Africa and Rwanda," Hadad-Adel said in a speech to deputies carried by state radio.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi, in a statement carried by the official news agency IRNA, also branded Chirac's comments as "unacceptable and unjustifiable".
"These statements redouble public concern in countries of the world which face those countries in possession of nuclear weapons," Asefi was quoted as saying.
Iran is currently at loggerheads with France, with Paris at the forefront of Western efforts to prevent the Islamic republic from acquiring nuclear technology that could be diverted to making weapons of mass destruction.
France, along with Britain and Germany and backed by the United States, is now leading a push for Iran to be referred to the UN Security Council.
Iran has denounced the mounting pressure, arguing it only wants to generate electricity and that this is a right for any signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
An editorial by the hardline Jomhuri Islami newspaper argued that Chirac's warning was a sign of the double standards Iran has long complained about.
It said Chirac had defied the NPT and calls for nuclear disarmament, and said France "has no right to be a member of world's nuclear club or comment on other countries".
"His remarks mean the French government would use the atomic bomb to oppress the ones who seek liberty," the paper said in a comment that could be seen as alluding to Iran's support for Palestinian militants.
"Everybody knows they label anyone who opposes their exploitative and colonial demands as terrorists, and that any country sheltering such people and supports them is named a supporter of terorists," the paper wrote.
"(Chirac) has unveiled the true face of the West," it said, asking why Iran should "still wait for negotiations" over its own nuclear programme.
This is goood....
First smart thing Chirac did. Yes, Tehran, he was talking about you, too.
Darn it! You mean I might have to take Chirac's side on something???
Oooh. Must have struck a nerve, Chirac.
Ummm, Your president is a terrorist. We remember 1979
Lol...
Too bad Chief Inspector Clouseau isn't around to help make this happen.
I do not see Jimmah the Failure Here working on this problem he personally created over a few dollars in contributions !
Chrac probably is peeing his pants!! According to Einstein Sand E squared=Glass
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
You mean the Iranians finally stopped laughing?
Nope, it means they are a "poor oppressed occupied territory" of terrorists, and that they have the right to kill, maim and mahem free of retaliation under International Law. That is why they have refused a State the many times it has been offered.
Iran finally gets missiles that can reach France, and Chirac grows some. Funny that when Chirac was out of range, his solution for the Jews was capitulation. I guess when it is your neck in the noose, it widens the perspective a bit.
Iran better be careful, or it might get a strongly worded letter from the UN.
bttt
And that would truly be the synergy of all our greatest fears...
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