On Iran, France moves closer to U.S.
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As France's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner can be surprisingly undiplomatic. Having apologized to Iraq's prime minister for saying he should be replaced, Kouchner is now under fire for raising the possibility of war with Iran.
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France says the European Union and Iran have made &quot;considerable progress&quot; towards reaching a preliminary agreement on Tehran&#39;s nuclear program at talks in Paris.
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ANGOULEME, France  - Everything must be done to avoid the prospect of war with Iran, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Monday, a day after his foreign minister said the country should prepare for that possibility.
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France took the first steps Monday to set up a European sanctions regime against the Islamic government in Tehran, after warning that Iran&#39;s failure to renounce nuclear weapons could lead to war.
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The United States narrowed differences with European allies Friday on how to pressure Iran to renounce the development of nuclear weapons, but it hasn&#39;t yet won agreement to haul the country before the UN Security Council, a US official
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French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner  has said he supports talks between Iran and the U.N.&#39;s nuclear  watchdog about Tehran&#39;s atomic program, but the dialogue should  not drag on for years.
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French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner  said on Sunday his country had to prepare for the possibility  of war against Iran over its nuclear program, but he did not  believe any such action was imminent.
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Broadening its strategy beyond threatening Iran, the US is now exploring European plans to reward Tehran if it abandons technology that can make nuclear arms, diplomats said.
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French officials say an initial accord is likely between the EU and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme.
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A senior Iranian official suggests France could help solve the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme.
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"Next week in New York there will be discussions to try to have a resolution. If in the framework of the U.N. things are not sufficient, we will act in the European framework."  France's foreign minister appeared Tuesday to soften his weekend warning of war with Iran if it develops nuclear weapons, emphasizing instead the need to 'negotiate, negotiate, negotiate without respite.'Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner also had said that European leaders were considering their own economic sanctions against Iran over its refusal to halt the enrichment of uranium in its nuclear program.Kouchner, who is on his first trip to Moscow as France's top diplomat, on Sunday said 'we must prepare ourselves for the worst' if Iran obtains nuclear weapons, and he specified that could mean a war. Read more
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Six major powers are in a position to agree on the text of a United Nations resolution on how to respond to Iran's nuclear program, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said on Monday.
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Tehran is inching closer to a compromise with French, British and German diplomats seeking to persuade it to give up its uranium enrichment program, a senior Iranian negotiator said on Friday.
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The promise of a new French base in the United Arab Emirates is the latest sign that Arab Gulf countries are expanding their commercial and military contacts to bolster security without appearing too dependent on the United States.
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The United States faced growing   opposition on Thursday to its bid to persuade other powers to   impose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme, with China   urging dialogue and France signaling flexibility.
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A more pragmatic and realistic French foreign policy is gradually replacing the defiant period of confrontation with the United States, especially after the latter's invasion of Iraq.
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French President Jacques Chirac backtracked on Thursday after saying it would not be dangerous for Iran to have a nuclear bomb, a sharp departure from France's position and the stance of close allies.