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France welcomes Russian proposal on Iran's nuclear program

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Baghdad, Jan 29, IRNA
France-Iran-Nuclear
French Ambassador to Baghdad Bernard Bajolet here Saturday said in case Iran accepts the recent Russian proposal on nuclear energy, France will welcome it.

Bajolet made the remark in a joint press conference after a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari along with the German and British ambassadors to Baghdad.

Al-Jaafari said on the table at the meeting was a request on Iraq's mediation in the case of Iran's nuclear activities.

He said the request was accepted.

The French ambassador said the three European states are hopeful that Iran's nuclear case would be settled through negotiations and would not be sent to the UN Security Council.

The European countries approve of the efforts made by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as before and continue to work on the basis of the agency's reports, he added.

The diplomat made the remark while the IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has repeatedly stressed he had found no evidence proving Iran's access to nuclear weapons.

The press conference turned into a venue for raising the controversial and dual approach of Europe in dealing with the nuclear programs of Iran and Israel.

The French ambassador was faced with repeated questions of the participating reporters why the nuclear weapons of the Zionist regime are not dealt with.

When he expressed Europe's concern over resumption of Iran's nuclear research activities, he was asked questions why Europe and the West do not feel such a concern about Israel's nuclear weapons.

Bajolet refused to give an explicit reply but said based on the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), they are against further development of nuclear weapons.

He did not mention that the NPT applies to atomic weapons and not peaceful nuclear energy.

Bajolet also declined to answer another question on whether Europe intends to adopt a measure on nuclear disarmament of Israel.

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