- Title: SYRIA: French PM calls for answer from Israel, expresses convern over Iran
- Date: 21st February 2010
- Summary: OTRI AND FILLION STANDING ON PODIUM HONOUR GUARD STANDING TO ATTENTION VARIOUS OF OTRI AND FILLION INSPECTING HONOUR GUARDS
- Embargoed: 8th March 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVA181W1Y7YMGQVO5Q8M9VJA6IWK
- Story Text: French Prime Minister Francois Fillon on Saturday (February 20) condemned the assassination of a Hamas militant in Dubai and called for the truth about the killing to be established.
The killing of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, found dead in a hotel in Dubai on January 20, has sucked in several foreign governments as the 11 suspects whose photos were distributed by the emirate appeared to have used fake European passports to enter the emirate.
"France condemns violence in general and the use of violence in international relations and in particular, their actions. Secondly, like the British and the Germans, we have asked for an explanation from the Israeli authorities because a French passport was used in this operation and of course we want to know the whole truth on the issue," during a news conference in Damascus on Saturday.
Fillon also warned that world powers would have to take new action against Iran in the next few weeks if Tehran continues to reject Western proposals on its disputed nuclear programme.
Fillon said he was worried by a new report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) this week which said Iran may be working to develop a nuclear-armed missile.
"We have read the new report by the IAEA on Iran's nuclear programme and it is very worrying. It describe in detail the enrichment activities being carried out by Iran, which violate UN Security Council resolutions quite directly and the advice of the IAEA. We have suggested to Iran for several months that it should discuss and cooperate but for the moment, all of these suggestions have been turned down. And so, with our partners, we will have no other choice, if the situation does not change, but to look at new measures in the coming weeks, put forward by the UN Security Council," Fillon told the news conference alongside his Syrian counterpart Naji al-Otari.
The United States is leading a push for a fourth round of United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran because of suspicions it is secretly developing a nuclear arsenal.
Washington has been supported from fellow Security Council members Britain and France, while Russia, which has been more reluctant to impose more sanctions, has said it was now "very alarmed" by the IAEA report.
China has so far resisted imposing more sanctions.
Iran denies it is trying to develop a nuclear weapon and says the accusations of Western countries are baseless.
Syria, an ally of Iran, said Tehran was developing nuclear energy toward peaceful ends.
Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moallem said more sanctions against the Islamic Republic were not the solution.
"We do not think that the sanctions are the way to solve the problems between Iran and the West. We are still looking for a way of building a constructive dialogue between Iran and the West that leads to a peaceful solution to this issue," he said.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Thursday it feared Iran may be working now to develop a nuclear-armed missile, and Washington warned Tehran of the "consequences" of ignoring international demands.
The IAEA on Thursday seemed to be cautiously going public with concerns arising from a classified analysis which concludes that Iran has already honed explosives expertise relevant to a workable nuclear weapon.
The report also confirmed Iran had produced its first small batch of uranium enriched to a higher purity and had set aside most of its low-enriched uranium stockpile for this purpose, although this seemed far in excess of civilian needs.
The developments will intensify pressure on Iran to prove it is not covertly bent on "weaponising" enrichment by allowing unfettered access for IAEA inspectors and investigators, something it rejects in protest at U.N. sanctions. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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