French presidential hopeful reaffirms tough stance on Iran

(AFP)
Updated: 2006-12-09 08:28

PARIS- The French Socialist party's presidential candidate, Segolene Royal, has stirred up the campaign with views on hotbed foreign policy issues, saying Iran should be denied a civil nuclear program for failing to comply with international regulations.

In an interview on France 2 television Friday, Royal said that her hostility toward Iran comes from Tehran's refusal to accept controls on its civil nuclear program, and that if the Iranians changed course the issue could be "reexamined".

The 53-year-old, aiming to be France's first woman head of state, has been speaking out in a bid to boost her credentials in foreign affairs, an area where her competence has been called into doubt.

She recently visited the Middle East where she met with the region's top leaders. It was while meeting with the Israeli leadership that she first made the comments about Iran.

The French center-right government has expressed outrage about her visit to the region mired in conflicts and struggling diplomatic efforts to resolve them.

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin on Thursday said her comments on Iran "lacked credibility". And Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy at a recent news conference accused her of "calling into question the (nuclear) non-proliferation treaty".

Former French foreign minister Roland Dumas, while disagreeing with Royal about Iran, said however she had the right to express her view, "and if she is elected, she would have the chance to develop it."



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