AFX News Limited Austria condemns France's 'martial rhetoric' on Iran
09.17.07, 10:04 AM ET VIENNA (Thomson Financial) - Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik on Monday condemned comments by her French counterpart Bernard Kouchner that the world should prepare for war over the Iranian nuclear crisis. 'My colleague Kouchner is the only one who can tell you what he meant. (But) I can't comprehend why he is resorting to such martial rhetoric at this time,' Plassnik said on the sidelines of a meeting of the UN's nuclear agency here. 'I am for continued work towards a negotiated solution,' she added. The French foreign minister said in an interview broadcast Sunday: 'We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war.' 'We must negotiate right to the end' with Iran, Kouchner said, but underlined that if Tehran possessed an atomic weapon, it would represent 'a real danger for the whole world.' Leading French companies such as Total and Gaz de France have been urged not to sign new contracts with Iran, he also commented. Tehran, which denies seeking to build an atomic weapon, was contemptuous of France's stance. The 144 member states of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are meeting this week in Vienna, with Iran a key topic of discussion. 'I am convinced that a negotiated solution can be reached,' Plassnik said. 'The international community must follow this path persistently and patiently.' The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Reza Aghazadeh, told the IAEA meeting that Western countries 'have always chosen the path of confrontation instead of the path of understanding and cordial relations toward the great nation of Iran.' [EMAIL PROTECTED]
