- Title: SYRIA: France and Syria not totally agreed on Iran
- Date: 13th July 2009
- Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (JULY 12, 2009) (REUTERS) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER BERNARD KOUCHNER ARRIVING TO THE SYRIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS KOUCHNER GOING TO MEET HIS SYRIAN COUNTERPART WALID AL-MOALLEM MOALLEM AND KOUCHNER ARRIVING TO THE NEWS CONFERENCE HALL SYRIAN OFFICIALS MOALLEM TALKING DURING THE NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WALID AL-
- Embargoed: 28th July 2009 13:00
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- Reuters ID: LVAAHYHWHXNLWSMFT5Z0KI77FSFM
- Story Text: French FM says during visit that he welcomes Syrian input on the issue of Iran.
French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner said France and Syria were not in total agreed on Iran but nevertheless welcomed any Syrian input in the matter.
"We are not in total agreement with Syria in analysing what is going on in Iran," he said. "But it was interesting to hear Mr. Bashar's point of view."
Iran is preparing a new package of "political, security and international" issues to put to the West, its foreign minister said on Saturday.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Wednesday that the Group of Eight major powers would give Iran until September to accept negotiations over its nuclear ambitions or face tougher sanctions.
In Iran's first reaction to Sarkozy's statement at the G8 summit in Italy, Mottaki said the Islamic Republic had not received "any new message" from the summit.
Britain's Foreign Office said it could not comment on Mottaki's remarks as the package was still being prepared. The White House had no immediate comment.
U.S. President Barack Obama warned Iran on Friday that the world would not wait indefinitely for it to end its nuclear defiance, saying Tehran had until September to comply or else face consequences.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem welcomed on Sunday (July 12, 2009) any potential visit to Syria by Barack Obama if he said the U.S. President's declarations to do so were indeed true.
"He (Obama) gives the real message about the change in the American administration so we welcome such visit if its declaration was right. The new diplomacy is based on the dialogue so how would it be if the dialogue were between the leaders? It is a responsibility," Moallem stated during a joint news conference with his French Counterpart Bernard Kouchner in Damascus.
EU powers Britain, France and Germany have led negotiations with Iran over nuclear work that the West suspects is aimed at bomb-making.
Tehran says its nuclear work is wholly peaceful and remains defiant in the nuclear row with the West, saying Iran will not back down "even one step" over its disputed program.
Together with the United States, Russia and China, the EU nations have offered a package of economic and other incentives to Iran if it will stop enriching uranium, a process that can produce fuel for power plants, or, potentially, a nuclear bomb.
Iran has rejected the demand, saying it has the right to pursue such work as a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
In a separate statement, the G8 said it was committed to finding a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear program. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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