Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
Voice of America is funded by the US Federal Government and content it
exclusively produces is in the public domain.

French Foreign Minister: Sanctions Against Iran Agreed
------------------------------------------------------

http://enews.voanews.com/t?r=279&c=727271&l=1009&ctl=15323A1:A6F02AD83191E160EED7AC230BF092FF9574F7DCC14957C0 Philippe
Douste-Blazy says, although powers have yet to agree on scope of the
sanctions, China and Russia are on board



" hspace=2
src="/english/images/ap_france_iran_Douste_Blazy_6dec06_eng_210.jpg"
width=180 vspace=2 border=0>

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-BlazyFrench Foreign Minister
Philippe Douste-Blazy said Wednesday world powers have agreed on
United Nations sanctions against Iran. From Paris, Lisa Bryant reports
for VOA that the foreign minister's remarks come after senior
international diplomats met on the matter in the French capital.

Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told France's RTL radio that
six world powers have agreed to support a U.N. Security Council
resolution against Iran.

Douste-Blazy says the six have agreed to a united stance on a
resolution to sanction Iran at the U.N. Security Council. He says,
although the powers have yet to agree on the scope of the sanctions,
China and Russia - which have traditionally balked at a U.N.
resolution against Tehran - are on board.

The foreign minister's remarks come a day after senior diplomats from
the six countries met in Paris to discuss a sanctions plan. The six
are the five permanent security council members - France, the United
States, Britain, China and Russia -- plus Germany.







Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (file photo)Although Tehran insists its nuclear
program is for purely peaceful purposes, the six believe Iran is
trying to build a nuclear weapon. Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad has warned his country would consider any effort by France
Germany or Britain to block Iran's nuclear program to be an act of
hostility.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns had expressed doubt the
Paris talks would lead to a breakthrough on sanctions. But, although
the powers apparently need to agree on exactly what kinds of sanctions
to back, there seems to be a general consensus that the Security
Council is the next step, when it comes to dealing with Iran.


.