• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

France Warns: No 'Fool's Deal' in Iran Nuclear Talks

by VOA News November 09, 2013

The French government has expressed concerns about Iran's position in negotiations with France and other world powers trying to curb the Iranian nuclear program. Diplomats in Geneva say three days of talks there with Iranian officials are likely to end soon without a full agreement.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged the six major powers not to miss what he called an 'exceptional opportunity' to reach a deal in Geneva to resolve the decade-long Iranian nuclear dispute.

Iran's state-run news agency IRNA said Rouhani made the comment in a meeting in Tehran Saturday with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who has joined the Geneva negotiations, says Paris is not satisfied with Iran's position and will not be part of what he called a 'fool's deal.'

Speaking to France Inter Radio, Fabius said Iran must suspend work on its plutonium-producing reactor in the western city of Arak. He also called for a reduction in the purity of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The United States and its allies accuse Iran of enriching uranium to make nuclear weapons. They fear any plutonium produced by Iran also could be reprocessed into weapons-grade material. Tehran insists its nuclear program is devoted only to generating electricity and for medical research.

It was not clear to what extent Fabius' remarks reflect the views of the other five powers involved in the talks with Iran: the United States, Britain, Germany, Russia and China. Some diplomats said France appears to be making tougher demands on Iran than the other powers.

​​​Iranian media quoted Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying there were divisions among the six major powers. Zarif, leader of the Iranian delegation in Geneva, said if the current rounds does not produce an agreement, a new round of negotiations would be held in seven to 10 days.

Reporters in Geneva say U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the European Union's foreign-policy chief, Catherine Ashton, are expected to issue statements late Saturday.

Iran has long resisted U.N. Security Council demands to suspend enrichment. However, the new Iranian government that took office in July has suggested compromise is possible on the pace of its nuclear work.

In return, Iran wants an easing of international sanctions that have hobbled its economy.

Earlier Saturday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the negotiations have made 'very good progress,' but that there are still important issues to resolve before a deal is reached.

​​​​'If there is not (a deal), of course then we must continue to apply ourselves in the coming weeks, building on the progress that has been made already,' said Hague. 'But we are making every effort to do so. While a number of issues have been satisfactorily addressed, the atmosphere of these negotiations, as others have told you before, is completely different from the atmosphere of a few months ago.''

Kerry said Friday there were 'some important gaps' remaining between Iran and the Western powers, but that the parties were 'working hard.'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov joined the negotiations on Saturday, and China has sent its deputy foreign minister, Baodong Li, to Geneva.

​On Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is deeply skeptical about the negotiations. The White House said Obama stressed he is fully committed to preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

Earlier Friday, Netanyahu reacted sharply to indications that Western powers were moving closer to an agreement with Iran. He told reporterrs Iran 'got everything and paid nothing' in the negotiations because it is not reducing its enrichment capability.

'Iran got the deal of the century and the international community got a bad deal,' Netanyahu said. 'This is a very bad deal, and Israel utterly rejects it.'

VOA correspondents covering the Geneva talks report that any deal that eases some Iran sanctions would be only a first step. Diplomats note those measures could be reimposed and potentially strengthened if an agreement collapses.