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French President Nicolas Sarkozy, at the summit in Damascus. (Reuters)
Last update - 16:28 05/09/2008
Iran to Sarkozy: Our nukes don't pose threat to region, world
By Reuters and DPA
Tags: Iran, Nuclear, Israel 

Tehran on Friday rejected remarks by French President Nicolas Sarkozy that Iran's nuclear weapons program is a threat to the region and global community.

"Nuclear weapons have no place in Iran's defense doctrine," said foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghav, Iran's Fars news agency reported.

Sarkozy on Thursday asked his Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus for support in opposing Iran's controversial nuclear program.
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While acknowledging Iran's right to have nuclear power, Sarkozy stressed that Iranian nuclear weapons would be a threat to the region and the whole world

Sarkozy warned Iran on Thursday it was taking a dangerous gamble in seeking to develop atomic weapons because one day Israel could strike to foil its nuclear aspirations.

Western powers accuse Iran of seeking the atom bomb under the cover of a civilian nuclear program but Tehran denies the charge, insisting it only wants to master atomic technology in order to generate electricity.

The United States and Israel have not ruled out military action if the dispute cannot be settled through diplomacy.

"Iran is taking a major risk in continuing the process to obtain a military nuclear capacity," Sarkozy told a meeting in Damascus with the leaders of Syria, Turkey and Qatar.

"One day, whatever the Israeli government, we could find one morning that Israel has struck," Sarkozy added.

"The question is not whether it would be legitimate, whether it would be intelligent. What will we do at that moment? It would be a catastrophe. We must avoid that catastrophe," Sarkozy told the meeting in comments broadcast on television.

Speculation about a possible attack on Iran's nuclear facilities has risen since Israel staged an air force exercise in June which was reported to be a simulation of a strike against Iran.

The French president has asked Syrian President Bashar Assad to help resolve the standoff with Iran, a close ally of Syria, and Assad has pledged to help seek a solution.

"The solution is to find a mechanism to prove that this nuclear program is a peaceful program," Assad told France 2 television in an interview, adding that he understood why the West was worried about the idea of Iran getting the bomb.

"Of course the West is frightened. We don't want the nuclear bomb in the Middle East," he said.

The United Nations Security Council has imposed three rounds of sanctions against Iran over its failure to heed calls to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that can produce fuel for power plants or, potentially, nuclear weapons.

Sarkozy repeated his call on Iran to halt enrichment and said Tehran should accept stricter inspections by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"If Iran continues enrichment, that is a problem. But IAEA checks should at least take place in a complete manner. Then [Iran's] good faith would be stablished," he said.

Iran is in talks with the IAEA on improving its cooperation with the agency, but Sarkozy did not say what "complete" inspections would be in his view.

Tehran has also so far failed to respond to a sweetened offer of incentives by France, Britain, Germany, the United States, Russia and China aimed at persuading it, initially, to freeze expansion of its nuclear work.

Ahmadinejad on U.S. Presidential elections

Iran's hard-line president says the next U.S. president - regardless whether it's a Democrat or a Republican - must change policies and
focus more on America's domestic problems rather than looking for intervention abroad.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke in an interview with Japanese broadcaster NHK that was carried by the official IRNA news agency on Friday.

In the interview, the Iranian president said Tehran would welcome dialogue with the next U.S. administration - provided current American policies change.

Ahmadinejad also said it doesn't matter whether Barack Obama or John McCain get elected. He added that the next U.S. president must curtail American intervention abroad and change policy toward Iran.


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      1.   Easier Said Than Done. 23:26  |  Cool B 04/09/08
      2.   Catastrophic comments 00:10  |  Morris Valentine 05/09/08
      3.   WHAT? 00:12  |  Axel 05/09/08
      4.   The Shopworn Jokes of tired Clown Sarko 02:10  |  Bl4ckP0pe 05/09/08
      5.   Iran Certainly Has a Right to Enrich Uranium for Power 05:44  |  Johan Odin 05/09/08
      6.   There is no other choice but to deny Iran nuclear weapons. 07:30  |  Jean Van Daem 05/09/08
      7.   For Ayatollah Johan Odin # 1 07:42  |  Fortuna Benmayor 05/09/08
      8.   Sarkozy irresponsible to even suggest such an atrocity 08:20  |  Ivar 05/09/08
      9.   # 3 Fortuna Benmayor 09:02  |  maoriboy 05/09/08
      10.   #4 Run that by us again, Fortuna? 09:03  |  Johnboy 05/09/08
      11.   Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! The Frog King Speaks 09:13  |  Clickfool 05/09/08
      12.   Thanks for the chuckle, Jean van Daem #5 09:47  |  Clickfool 05/09/08
      13.   The IAF is not capable of such an attack 10:03  |  Natallie Durson 05/09/08
      14.   Durson is so poetic 10:34  |  Connie 05/09/08
      15.   Silly Sarkouille : the catasptophe 10:45  |  ziggurat 05/09/08
      16.   Actually, Clickfool, it is you who are the clown providing laughs 11:01  |  Theodor 05/09/08
      17.   So, now, Durson, you`re handing out grades to the IAF? 11:03  |  Theodor 05/09/08
      18.   For Rabai Fortuna Benmayor 11:31  |  Javad 05/09/08
      19.   And who ere you Mr. Sarkozy???!!!! 12:14  |  Persian Hero 05/09/08
      20.   cynical dursson 12:32  |  Thierry 05/09/08
      21.   Never Auschwitz again 12:34  |  Thierry 05/09/08
      22.   To Fortuna Benmayor - One mans terrorist is another mans Hero 12:41  |  Johan Odin 05/09/08
      23.   Play with fire... you may get burnt 12:54  |  allang 05/09/08
      24.   # 6 JvD 13:04  |  Axel 05/09/08
      25.   Johnboy - Here`s the thing .. 14:22  |  Elihu 05/09/08
      26.   Ancient civilisation I salute you ! Do not be bullied & 14:31  |  lakshmi 05/09/08
      27.   Poor little Israel # 16 14:37  |  Clickfool 05/09/08
      28.   For Thierry # 21 14:39  |  Clickfool 05/09/08
      29.   For Allang # 23 14:41  |  Clickfool 05/09/08
      30.   Sarkozy`s remarks are telling 15:15  |  Pssd Off American 05/09/08
      31.   Iran Nukes will guarantee stability for ALL 15:21  |  MiddleStanian 05/09/08
      32.   #2 Can I just point this out, Morris.... 16:01  |  Johnboy 05/09/08
      33.   Parsim and the Bomb 16:11  |  Yakov 05/09/08
      34.   Durson’s recall of recent history surgically altered by hate 16:56  |  Darth Zaider (Ed) 05/09/08
      35.   To Clickfool 17:15  |  Robin 05/09/08
      36.   Our nukes don`t pose threat to region, world ??? 17:22  |  S 05/09/08
      37.   Fortuna Benmayor, WELL SAID and ENOUGH SAID 17:43  |  John 05/09/08
      38.   Sarkozy vs Ayatollahs 17:48  |  Brod 05/09/08
      39.   Natallie Durson (#13) During the time you are waiting 17:50  |  Gil 05/09/08
      40.   As one may observe Israel launches warnings only 17:51  |  words, words, words 05/09/08
      41.   Johan on enrichment 18:10  |  zengeos 05/09/08
      42.   maori on bs... 18:14  |  zengeos 05/09/08
      43.   hyenajad is correct in saying the policy must change. 18:14  |  frenz 05/09/08
      44.   John on IAEA and Iran 18:16  |  zengeos 05/09/08
      45.   Clickfool on weaponization 18:18  |  zengeos 05/09/08
      46.   Natalies poor memory 18:24  |  zengeos 05/09/08
      47.   Javad on terror groups 18:29  |  zengeos 05/09/08
      48.   Cool B on counterstrikes 18:33  |  zengeos 05/09/08
      49.   Nuclear attack 18:44  |  Serge 05/09/08
      50.   Haaretz and headlines 18:45  |  Axel 05/09/08
      51.   About WMD #24 18:46  |  Jonathan S 05/09/08
      52.   re: 19 18:47  |  persian 05/09/08
      53.   Sarkozy, a new kid in politics 20:22  |  Persian Hero 05/09/08
      54.   Sarkozy vs Fanatics 20:31  |  Brod 05/09/08
      55.   To Johan Odin who can see just with his politically correct eye 20:33  |  Fortuna Benmayor 05/09/08
      56.   For Javad # 18, who calls me a "filthy Zionist" 20:39  |  Fortuna Benmayor 05/09/08
      57.   An misleading title 21:02  |  Boycott 05/09/08
      58.   #6 JVD 21:18  |  Persian Hero 05/09/08
      59.   This headline suggests Iran is developing nukes 21:26  |  Clickfool 05/09/08
      60.   Iran to Sarkozy: ... 23:03  |  michelmicha 05/09/08
      61.   Iran and Sarkozy 00:59  |  Brod 06/09/08
      62.   #44 Complete and utter garbage, zengeos 03:17  |  Johnboy 06/09/08
      63.   To Clickfool (#11) - I should be so lucky 03:57  |  Morris Valentine 06/09/08
      64.   To JB (#32) 04:05  |  Morris Valentine 06/09/08
      65.   Read the Obnoxious Ilan Berman! 04:55  |  NoToMyths 06/09/08
      66.   # 42 zengeos 05:19  |  maoriboy 06/09/08
      67.   And What Did Georgia do With Israeli Weapons Fortuna Benmayor? 05:43  |  Johan Odin 06/09/08
      68.   Boycot on Ghasghav 06:38  |  zengeos 06/09/08
      69.