Iran / Nuclear
Iran / Detention of a French national
Middle East
Air disaster in the Comoros
Iran / Nuclear
Hillary Clinton stated that she was in favor of “stricter sanctions” against Iran. What form could these take?
We are continuing to urge Iran to choose the path of dialogue in order to find a negotiated solution to the nuclear issue that responds to the concerns of the international community.
We hope that Iran will swiftly choose cooperation instead of isolation and we are waiting for a response to the offer made by the “E3+3” Group.
In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Security Council has, under resolution 1737, made provision for the adoption, in accordance with article 41 of Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, of any other measures that might be necessary to persuade Iran to comply with these demands and the IAEA requirements.
Iran / Detention of a French national
Can you confirm that the Iranian authorities are unhappy that France has made the detention of Clotilde Reiss public?
As soon as we learned of our compatriot’s detention on July 1 we first of all made low-key efforts in Tehran and in Paris for nearly a week to secure her release.
Then, on July 6, we publicly demanded her release.
In Paris, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, who summoned the Iranian Ambassador on Monday, is continuing, in conjunction with Clotilde Reiss’s family, to monitor the situation of our compatriot very closely and to make regular demands to the Iranian Embassy for a swift response from the Iranian authorities to our demands.
Our ambassador is doing the same thing in Tehran. In particular, we hope that he will soon be able to visit Clotilde Reiss where she is being held, in accordance with international conventions. We want to be able to assure ourselves, as soon as possible, of the physical and mental well-being of Clotilde.
Bernard Kouchner spoke on the telephone on July 7 with his Iranian counterpart, Manoucher Mottaki, to reiterate these demands.
Is France planning to issue an official protest to the Israeli authorities after a team of French surgeons was refused entry into Gaza?
Can you confirm that a French diplomat, in this case the Deputy Consul, was also blocked by the Israelis? What is your reaction following the recent incidents between the Israeli police and a French diplomat? Do you think that your recent protests have been heard and what are you planning to do if not?
We do not understand that a recognized surgical team can be prevented from having access to people waiting for surgery in Gaza.
We will state this clearly to the Israeli authorities.
As you know, France is demanding that the crossing points be opened permanently to allow the movement of goods and people. The missions to assist and support the population in Gaza must, in particular, be able to freely enter and leave the territory.
Concerning the second question, we are checking this information. If it is necessary, we will remind the Israeli authorities of the need to comply with the international law that applies to diplomatic and consular officers.
Yemenia denounced France’s attitude as being “hard” and threatened to “reconsider” an order for 10 airbuses. What is your reaction?
We are cooperating fully, in complete transparency, with all the parties involved in this tragedy, including of course, Yemenia. Let me remind you that we swiftly deployed naval and air assets from Réunion and sea assets from Mayotte. The most important thing at this stage is to recover the bodies of the victims, as well as the black boxes from the aircraft for the purposes of the investigation.
In addition, I would like to remind you that Christine Robichon was appointed as an ambassador tasked with liaising with the families and close friends of the victims. She is also tasked with ensuring smooth cooperation between the authorities of the victims’ countries of origin, particularly the Comoros, and the Yemeni authorities, as well as Yemenia.
In view of this, we do not understand your comments.