Bloomberg: French President Nicolas Sarkozy said cooperation with Iran on nuclear energy is “possible,” saying confrontation between the West and the Islamic Republic isn’t inevitable. By Helene Fouquet
Oct. 23 (Bloomberg) — French President Nicolas Sarkozy said cooperation with Iran on nuclear energy is “possible,” saying confrontation between the West and the Islamic Republic isn’t inevitable.
“The energy of the future is not meant to be only in the hands of the most developed countries,” Sarkozy told Moroccan lawmakers today in Rabat during his three-day state visit. “Saying this here in Morocco is a way for me to tell Iran that cooperation is possible and that we are not condemned to confrontation.”
The U.S. and its western European allies, including France, are demanding that Iran halt its atomic program that they say may be intended to develop nuclear weapons. Sarkozy has called for tighter sanctions and said Sept. 20 that it would be “unacceptable” for Iran to have an atomic bomb.
Today, he held out the prospect for Iran to develop nuclear energy with the help of French technology, as he has proposed in Morocco.
Iran says it wants nuclear technology to generate electricity. The United Nations has imposed two sets of limited sanctions since December, and President George W. Bush has refused to rule out military action.
