DUBAI (Agencies)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy – a defender of the Islamic world's right to peaceful nuclear technology – starts on Sunday a three-nation tour of Gulf states, where he is expected to sign a nuclear deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On his first trip to the region since taking office in May, he will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, all interested in developing a civilian nuclear program.
During a brief stop in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, France and the UAE are to sign a framework accord for cooperation in developing civilian nuclear energy, said a source close to talks between the two governments who asked not to be named.
This would make the UAE the third Arab country to ink such a deal with France, after Algeria and Libya.
"The sharing of civilian nuclear (technology) will be one of the foundations of a pact of confidence which the West must forge with the Islamic world," Sarkozy said after signing the agreement with Algeria last month.
Amid concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions and growing regional clout, the six Arab monarchies of the Gulf decided in December 2006 to develop a joint nuclear technology program for peaceful uses.
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Pressure Iran Sarkozy will land in Saudi Arabia as U.S. President George W. Bush tours the region to rally support for his policy of isolating Iran over its controversial nuclear activities.
In an interview published Sunday, Sarkozy said he wants international pressure stepped up on Iran over its refusal to halt its contested nuclear program.
"Iran is persistent in not respecting its international obligations. We want to continue to increase international pressure within the (U.N.) Security Council and European Union, until the country fulfills all its international obligations, that is to say it suspends sensitive activities and implements supplementary guarantees sought by the IAEA," Sarkozy was quoted as saying in the London-based Al-Hayat daily.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei met with Iranian leaders in Tehran on Saturday aimed at persuading the country to intensify cooperation with his agency over its contested nuclear program.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told ElBaradei that Iran would not submit to the demands of its arch foe the United States in the standoff over the nuclear drive, which the West fears could be aimed at producing a bomb.
Sarkozy noted that the two U.N. Security Council sanctions resolutions against Iran were adopted under article 41 of the U.N. Charter, which excludes the use of force. |
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Syrian Solution Also in the Hayat interview, Sarkozy said France is ready to resume normal contacts with Syria once it cooperates in Lebanon by allowing the election of a president.
"It is from the moment there is a concrete result obtained in Lebanon that we can envisage a real normalization and resumption of a true dialogue with Damascus on all regional subjects and not only on Lebanon," Sarkozy was quoted as saying in the Saudi daily.
"What we are waiting for is for Lebanese politicians to assume their responsibilities and put into action an Arab plan, beginning with the immediate election of the consensus (presidential) candidate Michel Suleiman," he added.
Sarkozy ordered normal contacts with Syria broken off late last month, accusing Damascus of failing to match its words about wanting a settlement to the crisis in Lebanon with deeds on the ground.
The government of pro-Western Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has accused the pro-Syrian opposition of repeatedly blocking the vote at the behest of Damascus after the two sides reached agreement on army chief Suleiman as a compromise candidate.
Lebanon has been without a president since pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud stepped down on November 23 with no elected successor because of bitter rivalry between the pro- and anti-Syrian camps.
The Arab initiative is based on a three-point plan that calls for the election of Suleiman as president, the formation of a national unity government in which no one party has veto power and the adoption of a new electoral law.
Although the ruling coalition has given the plan its full backing, the Shiite militant group Hezbollah is insisting the opposition be granted a third of the seats in a new 30-member government so as to have veto power over key decisions. |
