Iran slams French nuclear war warning
A WARNING from French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner that the world has to prepare for a possible war with Iran over its nuclear program triggered alarm in the Middle East and elsewhere today.
Iran's official media launched a scathing response to the remarks, made
in a broadcast interview yesterday evening, and Paris of pandering to the
United States.
"The new occupants of the Elysee (presidential palace) want to copy the
White House,'' the state-owned IRNA news agency said in an editorial.
Accusing French President Nicolas Sarkozy of taking on "an American skin'',
it said that "the French people will never forget the era when a
non-European moved into the Elysee.''
Mr Kouchner, a former international charity chief and Socialist health
minister, said that the world should negotiate with Iran "right to the end''
over its nuclear program.
But, Mr Kouchner warned, "We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst
is war.''
He said that if Tehran possessed an atomic weapon, it would be a "real
danger for the whole world.''
Mr Kouchner added that the current stand-off was "the greatest crisis'' of
present times.
The minister spoke ahead of a visit to Moscow today where Iran's nuclear
ambitions will be the main subject of discussion.
Also today the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) opens its annual
conference in Vienna, with Iran top of the agenda.
On Friday the five permanent UN Security Council members - Britain, China,
France, Russia and the United States - plus Germany are due to discuss a new
draft resolution on sanctions against Iran.
Mr Kouchner said that if the UN is unable to agree on a new round of
sanctions, then the European Union should prepare its own.
"We have decided that while negotiations are continuing ... to prepare
eventual sanctions outside the ambit of UN sanctions. Our good friends, the
Germans, suggested that,'' he said.
In Washington, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates took a more guarded
approach.
"I will tell you that I think the administration believes at this point that
continuing to try and deal with the Iranian threat ... through diplomatic
and economic means is by far the preferable approach,'' he said.