Source: Agence France Presse
DOHA, Sept 9, 2007 – French Defence Minister Herve Morin warned on Sunday that Iran’s nuclear programme posed a "major risk" to the stability of the Gulf region.
"It is necessary to make Iran understand that the nuclear risk creates a major risk of destabilising the region," Morin told journalists as he wrapped up a visit to the Gulf state of Qatar.
He said Iran’s nuclear ambitions were a major concern for the region and called on "the moderate Gulf states to find a way to talk and reason" with Tehran.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy last month declared that Iran possessing a nuclear weapon was "unacceptable" and that he considered it the gravest problem currently facing the international community.
Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is for producing electricity, but Western powers suspect that it is a cover for developing a nuclear weapon.
Morin on Sunday also defended France’s decision to help Libya build a nuclear reactor for a desalination plant, saying that Tripoli had a right to this technology because "the Libyan govnernment respects all the international controls related to the nuclear question."
