AFP: France is considering fresh sanctions to pressure Iran to halt its nuclear programme, holding talks with investors on measures that could be adopted outside the UN, the presidency said Thursday. PARIS, Sept 6, 2007 (AFP) – France is considering fresh sanctions to pressure Iran to halt its nuclear programme, holding talks with investors on measures that could be adopted outside the UN, the presidency said Thursday.
“Our priority today is the adoption of a third resolution within the framework of the United Nations Security Council,” President Nicolas Sarkozy’s spokesman David Martinon told a press briefing when asked about the possibility of bilateral sanctions against Iran.
“The project we are working on… is more about additional sanctions,” he said.
Asked whether France would ask multinationals such as car manufacturer Renault or oil giant Total to suspend their activities in Iran, Martinon said: “We are in contact with the French investors.”
On Tuesday, the French foreign ministry said that new sanctions against Tehran should be taken “as a priority” within the UN framework, but did not rule out using another forum such as the European Union.
Officials however have said that France is unlikely to opt for unilateral sanctions to punish Tehran for its failure to halt sensitive nuclear activities.
Iran warned on Sunday it would “reconsider” its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if the Security Council imposed a third set of sanctions over its contested nuclear programme.
Tehran agreed a timetable with the UN atomic agency last month to answer outstanding questions over its atomic drive, in a move that is expected to stave off the threat of sanctions for several months.
The United States accuses Tehran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons — an allegation vehemently denied by the Islamic republic — and has never ruled out taking military action against it.
