France Urges Iran to Accept Full Inspections of its Nukes

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, April 24, 2003

France Urges Iran to Accept Full Inspections of its Nukes

Visiting French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin on Thursday called on Iran to sign an additional protocol to allow unscheduled and unlimited inspections of its nuclear sites.

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Visiting French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin on Thursday called on Iran to sign an additional protocol to allow unscheduled and unlimited inspections of its nuclear sites.

De Villepin arrived in Tehran early Thursday for a one-day visit on the third leg of his Middle East tour, after visiting Ankara and Amman.

Bilateral relations, consultations on regional and international issues, the reconstruction of Iraq and the Palestinian-Israeli crisis are on top of the agenda of talks between de Villepin and his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharrazi.

Speaking at a press conference in Tehran, de Villepin said, "we think it is essential to continue confidence-building measures, in particular by signing the additional protocol of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty as demanded by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei."

During a visit to Iran in February, ElBaradei had urged the country to sign the protocol, allowing unlimited inspections by international experts of any suspect sites.

The United States has on many occasions claimed that Iran's nuclear program is aimed at producing nuclear weapons, an allegation consistently rejected by Iran.

The French minister will also meet with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and head of Iran's Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani before completing his brief visit to Iran.

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