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France accuses Iran of secret nuclear program Paul Carrel / Reuters | February 16 2006 France accused Iran on Thursday of pursuing a secret military nuclear program, drawing a swift rebuke from Tehran ahead of talks next week on a Russian proposal for resolving the dispute. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Iran's nuclear work, which Tehran says aims to generate electricity for its energy-hungry economy, could not possibly be designed for civilian uses alone. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani responded with a warning to the West not to hector Tehran, a heated exchange that boded ill for talks in Moscow on Monday on a Russian compromise aimed at ending the row peacefully. Russia has offered to enrich Iranian uranium on its soil and return it to Iran for use in atomic reactors, thereby easing international concerns Iran could produce bomb-grade uranium. "No civilian nuclear program can explain the Iranian nuclear program. So it is a clandestine Iranian military nuclear program," Douste-Blazy told France 2 television. "The international community has sent a very firm message by saying to the Iranians: 'Come back to reason. Suspend all nuclear activity and the enrichment of uranium and the conversion of uranium'," he added. "They are not listening to us," said Douste-Blazy, whose comments drew a swift reaction from Tehran. "I suggest that Mr. Douste-Blazy use a diplomatic tone and avoid increasing the tension," Larijani told Iranian television. "His motivation for making such comments is unclear for us. But adopting a logical stance toward Iran's nuclear activity better serves the interest of the region," he said. CHINA URGES DIPLOMATIC RESOLUTION China, which like France is a permanent member
of the U.N. Security Council, urged a diplomatic resolution of the standoff,
a day after the United States said Tehran was defying the international
community by resuming enrichment. "It's extremely important for the international community to uphold the consensus on resolving the Iran nuclear issue through diplomatic means and call on the related parties to maintain calm, restraint and patience." Iran resumed small-scale feeding of uranium gas into centrifuge enrichment machines on Tuesday after a break of 2-1/2 years, according to officials close to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog. After three years of investigation, the IAEA has found no hard proof Iran is seeking nuclear arms, but has been unable to verify that its atomic program is entirely for peaceful aims. It says many questions remain because of delays and evasions by the Iranians in dealing with its inquiries. European Union powers had persuaded Tehran to suspend enrichment in November 2003 over fears it was pursuing a nuclear arsenal under cover of a civilian energy program. Larijani told French radio Iran remained ready to negotiate. "We are ready to engage in dialogue with the members of the European Union to reach a solution, but they are not going to talk to us in the language of threats," he told France Inter. Douste-Blazy said the international community was united on the nuclear issue and that the U.N. Security Council would decide what action to take once the head of the IAEA, Mohamed ElBaradei, submits a report in March. The IAEA's board of governors decided on February 4 to report Iran to the council, which has the power to impose sanctions. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited the central Natanz uranium enrichment facility on Wednesday, a day after Iran resumed sensitive nuclear fuel work there. "It is not building an atomic bomb that is going to make our enemies scared. The main reason for our enemies' fear is the self-sufficiency and scientific ability of the Iranian nation," he told technicians at the plant, the official IRNA news agency reported. (Additional reporting by Tehran and Beijing bureaux) ---------------------------------------------------
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