France Steps Up Pressure on Iran's Nuclear Activities

VOA News ^ | February 16, 2006 | Lisa Bryant

[MillerCreek]

France has for the first time explicitly accused Iran of using its nuclear program for clandestine military nuclear activity. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy accused Tehran Thursday of harboring a secret military nuclear program. The foreign minister's remarks are ratcheting up the tension between the West and Iran over its nuclear activities.

Made during an interview on French radio Thursday, the foreign minister's remarks amounted to the clearest claim by a high-ranking European official that Iran's nuclear activities had a military goal. Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy said that no civilian nuclear program can explain Iran's nuclear activities. Therefore, he said, it must be a clandestine military nuclear program.

Iran has insisted that its nuclear activities are for peaceful, civilian purposes. And in an interview from Tehran with France-Inter radio Thursday, Tehran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani repeated that claim.

Larijani said he was surprised at Douste-Blazy's declarations. He said the French minister's conception of Iran's nuclear activities did not figure into either the language or the thinking of the Iranian government. He dismissed what he called untruthful propaganda that Iran wanted to develop a nuclear bomb.

The French minister's accusations are bound to deepen the standoff between Tehran on the one side, and the European Union and the United States on the other, over Iran's nuclear program. The EU and the U.S. spent months trying to persuade Tehran to agree to give up its nuclear activities. With diplomatic talks apparently going nowhere, members of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna voted earlier this month to take the matter to the U.N. Security Council.

On Tuesday, Iran announced it had resumed nuclear enrichment efforts. It said it would no longer comply with voluntary measures allowing international inspectors access to its nuclear facilities. It argues that as a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it should be allowed to enrich uranium for nuclear energy reactors. The treaty allows countries to pursue peaceful nuclear development.

[MillerCreek]

It is encouraging to read that even France is finally expressing concern as to Iran's nuclear activities.

[Northern Alliance]

France is a superpower wannabie. Perhaps they see the writing on the wall with regards to Iran, (which is WAR) and have decided to get out in front a bit, acting like a leader instead of simply whining about what someone else is or is not doing or making silly proposals that are seen as weak and ignored by everyone else, like with Saddam's Iraq.

[MillerCreek]

Perhaps it's the beginning of change...facing down a nuclear threat nearby, perhaps, has finally gotten France's attention.

At least I hope so, from the look of the conditions in France today and recently...they don't have a lot left to lose but I wish them the best in trying to confront the ugly neighbor/s to their south and east.

[Roy Tucker]

Yeah, I'm sure the mullahs are shaking in their Guccis.

[son of caesar]

Europe being in tehrans missiles range is what is so supremely delicious about this situation. Dam, i think this is so funny. Seriously, France making noise about the muslims is about as usefull as ice in alaska.

[Northern Alliance]

The Europeans are more vulnerable to this threat.

More vulnerable to a direct attack from Iran, but the USA is a more likely target in a proxy attack by terrorists. And the Europeans, knowing the USA is committed to defending Israel, no doubt feel they can rely on it to take out the bad guys once again.

Therefore whatever their motivation, I do applaud the French for taking such a strong stance, second only the USA.