AFP, Paris, Sept 28, 2008 (Excerpts) – France on Sunday welcomed a UN Security Council resolution that again urged Iran to suspend its sensitive nuclear fuel work, but Paris also called for new sanctions on the Islamic republic.

Saturday’s resolution “shows the concern and the unity of the international community faced with Iran’s nuclear programme,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement that urged Iran to comply with the UN text.

But Paris also “reaffirms its determination to work with its partners on new sanctions to increase the pressure on Iran if it continues to ignore its international obligations.”

The Security Council unanimously adopted the resolution urging Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment work but offering no new sanctions and merely reaffirming existing ones.