VZCZCXRO1705
OO RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDF RUEHDIR RUEHIK RUEHKUK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHFR #0360/01 0601803
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 291803Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2119
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES  PRIORITY
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 0631
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1482

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 000360 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KNNP PARM PREL MNUC FR IR
SUBJECT: RECENT FRENCH MFA PUBLIC STATEMENTS ON IRAN/IAEA 
 
REF: A. (A) STATE 19694 
     ¶B. (B) STATE 19200 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  We passed non-paper texts in reftels February 28 
and 29 to the relevant French MFA officials in the Strategic 
Affairs and Middle East/North Africa directorates.  Although 
the MFA has not offered any comments on the non-papers, we 
would note in the interim that the French have been very 
active in terms of their recent public statements on the Iran 
nuclear issue via the daily MFA press briefing.  Paras 2 and 
3 contains official translations of the MFA's most recent 
statements on the issue as posted to the MFA's website. 
 
¶2.  (U)  Text of statement of 25 February 2008: 
 
France thanks the director-general of the IAEA and his teams 
for this new report which attests to the Agency,s efforts to 
shed light on Iran,s past and present nuclear activities. 
 
The report shows that Iran, under pressure from the 
international community, has provided new information in 
response to questions from the IAEA. But major uncertainties 
remain, in particular on activities that "could have a 
military nuclear dimension, which the Agency rightly terms a 
 matter of serious concern." 
 
The Agency sets out these activities in detail, some of which 
it considers could be part of "research and development 
activities for nuclear weapons."  It consequently emphasizes 
in its report that it is not in a position to determine the 
true nature of Iran's nuclear program. 
 
Other complementary information given by Iran raises new 
questions.  The Agency was able to visit new sites where "new 
generation" centrifuges are being tested; this means an 
accelerated program of centrifugation whereas these 
considerable efforts to develop these highly sensitive 
technologies have no rationale in civilian use. 
 
As the IAEA director-general recalls, it is essential for 
Iran to comply with all the demands of the international 
community expressed by the IAEA Board of Governors and UN 
Security Council, and to restore confidence in the 
exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program; the 
Agency is not in a position to attest to it today. 
 
This requires Iran to give clear, complete and precise 
answers to questions about its past and present nuclear 
activities and to give the IAEA the means to verify its 
answers by the implementation of the Additional Protocol and 
the other measures of transparency demanded by the Agency. 
It also implies suspending its enrichment, heavy water and 
reprocessing related activities as demanded by the IAEA Board 
of Governors and Security Council. 
 
Our preference is for dialogue and negotiations to resolve 
the Iranian nuclear problem.  We therefore call again on Iran 
to comply with its international obligations and to permit at 
last, through the suspension of its sensitive activities, 
negotiations to start which we earnestly desire. 
 
(U)  Text of exchange between journalists and the French MFA 
spokesperson on Iran/Nuclear issue, 26 February 2008: 
 
Q - In the wake of the report which is being interpreted 
differently by the major countries and by Iran, the British 
are now talking about new elements that suggest Iran 
continued its program to develop its nuclear military 
potential well after 2003.  Did you get information of this 
nature from the British? 
It,s Mr. ElBaradei,s report and that,s the report the 
British are referring to. 
 
This new report indicates that Iran is pursing the enrichment 
activities which, may I remind you, the Security Council has 
asked it to suspend.  All in all, once again the Agency notes 
that the absence of answers from Iran on militarization does 
not answer all the questions we,re asking.  The working plan 
isn,t closed.  We remain concerned at the accelerated 
Iranian program of centrifugation and the new elements 
concerning the militarization of the Iran program only add to 
our concern. 
 
So, the IAEA report does not re-establish the confidence 
which is indispensable between Iran and the rest of the 
international community. 
 
Until Iran complies with its international obligations, we 
will continue our policy which combines, as you know, 
 
PARIS 00000360  002 OF 003 
 
 
dialogue and firmness. 
 
Q - The draft resolution is still due to be voted on 
Thursday? 
We do have a draft resolution. I don,t know whether it will 
be this Thursday, but the talks are continuing in the 
Security Council. We hope we,ll manage to move to a vote on 
a resolution as quickly as possible. 
 
(...) 
 
The IAEA secretariat yesterday essentially presented the 
"alleged studies" on the weaponization of the Iranian program 
which Iran has refused to answer. 
 
These "alleged studies" tally with the various information 
the IAEA has, its own observations, intelligence about the 
acquisition of specific sensitive goods by Iran and 
information from third countries. 
 
As I told you, the elements presented at this meeting in 
Vienna continue to be a source of deep concern, and the 
British diplomat you referred to a moment ago was alluding to 
this. 
 
Q - Do you agree with the Iranians who are talking in all the 
capitals, in Paris and other places, claiming they answered 
the six outstanding questions as the IAEA demands? (...) 
 
What Iran says isn,t new.  For our part, we stand by what 
the Agency has said.  Mr. ElBaradei and the Agency have done 
what we asked them to.  They,ve asked the Iranians questions 
in accordance with what the IAEA Board of Governors and UN 
Security Council requested. 
 
So far, we have not obtained all the complete, clear, 
specific answers we expect. 
 
This is what the IAEA tells us in the last report which has 
been made public, and as I,ve said, we are still not 
satisfied. Confidence hasn,t been restored, and we,re 
continuing to work on a new sanctions resolution at the UN. 
 
Q - The Iranians have asked for more time to respond to the 
documents which came from the Americans, which they say were 
shown at the last minute by Mr. ElBaradei.  Do you think 
these American documents are credible?  Did you base yourself 
on these documents to formulate your position and what are 
the difficulties at this point in getting an agreement among 
the E3   3? 
 
With regard to your first question, I,ve no knowledge of 
what you,re referring to.  As I,ve told you before, what 
matters to us are facts, and the facts are those ascertained 
by the Agency.  It has explained itself. 
 
As for your other question, the discussions are in New York. 
We don,t make public what goes on between the members of the 
Security Council.  We hope that an agreement is reached and 
at that point naturally we,ll brief you on the result. 
 
Q - The Iranian president threatened France with reprisals 
yesterday. Any comment? 
 
I,ve not heard of such statements from the Iranian 
president. We still hope that we,ll have dialogue with the 
Iranians and that confidence will be re-established through 
this dialogue. 
 
The sole purpose of our work, the work of the international 
community, on sanctions is to re-establish dialogue. It is in 
the interest of all, the Iranians and the international 
community as a whole. 
 
Q - What was the basis of your decision for freezing Iranian 
assets yielded from their participation in Eurodif? 
 
We are implementing the resolutions of the Security Council. 
 
(...) 
 
Q - (The Iranians are also saying that French companies with 
operations in Iran don,t want to be targeted by measures 
taken by the French government to discourage them from 
continuing to work in Iran .... Any comment? 
 
We,re working with French companies. When we take decisions, 
these also have repercussions at their level.  The only thing 
that I want to say again here is that I really hope that the 
 
PARIS 00000360  003 OF 003 
 
 
resumption of a real dialogue with the Iranians will lead to 
the re-establishment of confidence and lead to normal 
relations with Iran. 
 
Our preference is for dialogue.  We,ve always said that we 
combined dialogue and firmness, that sanctions are not an end 
in themselves.  Our objective is the resumption of dialogue 
so that we have a normal, peaceable relationship with Iran. 
For this to happen we need confidence, and that confidence 
doesn,t exist today. 
 
End text of French MFA statements. 
 
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm 
 
 
ROSENBLATT