Inflammatory remarks by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the existence of Israel have moved the French government to consult with European allies on the future of negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear programme, a foreign ministry spokesman said Friday in Paris.
Ahmadinejad's comments that Israel must be "wiped off the map" are "a new and important element", Jean-Francois Mattei told journalists. "It is obviously an element we must take into account. We cannot pretend as if this element did not exist."
| "Much as we'd like to try ..." |
As a result, Paris will consult with the other two members of the so-called Big Three, Britain and Germany, about how to proceed in their negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme, Mattei said. There will also be talks with "other partners in the international community to see what conclusions we must draw for the dialogue with Iran", he said.
France, Germany and Britain have led negotiations with Iran about stopping its uranium enrichment process, which many fear is being used by Tehran's radical leaders to develop a nuclear bomb.
On Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom said in Paris that Iran may only be six months away from having a nuclear weapon and that its leaders wanted to use it to "destroy the state of Israel". |