AFP, Paris, Feb 3, 2010  – French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Wednesday he would ask the United Nations to adopt a new resolution against Iran over its nuclear programme, which would include ’strong sanctions’.
’The Iranian regime has not taken our offers of dialogue … the time has therefore come to react,’ he said.
’We will seek in the United Nations the adoption of a new resolution comprising strong sanctions and the European Union will also equally assume its responsibilites,’ he added.
Iran is already under three sets of sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council for its refusal to stop enriching uranium, a process that can produce fuel for nuclear reactors but also fissile material for an atomic bomb.
Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahamdinejad raised the possibility Tehran might come to an agreement with world powers over its enrichment programme.
’It is important to make Iran understand that the leaders of the international community are determined to the point of putting this matter at the top of their list of priorities, even if they have to pay an economic or even military price,’ the Iranian leader said.
Fillon stressed that the West had not let up its efforts to engage Tehran in dialogue and underscored that time was running short.
’It is not too late to use the path of politics to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear capability,’ the prime minister said. ’But time is running short.’