Everything must be done to avoid the prospect of war with Iran, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said yesterday, a day after his foreign minister said the country should prepare for that possibility.
The US, Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China have backed two rounds of UN sanctions against Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment and other sensitive work that could potentially be used to make weapons.
France has repeatedly called for more sanctions. Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner increased pressure on Teheran on Sunday, saying that France had to prepare for the prospect of war with Iran, though that was not an immediate danger.
"Everything must be done to avoid war," Fillon told reporters on a visit to the western town of Angouleme.
"France's role is to lead towards a peaceful solution to a situation that would be extremely dangerous for the rest of the world," he said. He added that Kouchner was right to say the situation was dangerous and should be taken seriously.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy raised the prospect of war last month, when he said a diplomatic push by the world's major powers was the only alternative to "the Iranian bomb or the bombing of Iran", which he said would be "catastrophic".
Yesterday, the UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei criticized talk of attacking Iran as "hype", saying such options should only be considered as a last resort and only if authorized by the UN Security Council.
The US, Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China have backed two rounds of UN sanctions against Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment and other sensitive work that could potentially be used to make weapons.
France has repeatedly called for more sanctions. Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner increased pressure on Teheran on Sunday, saying that France had to prepare for the prospect of war with Iran, though that was not an immediate danger.
"Everything must be done to avoid war," Fillon told reporters on a visit to the western town of Angouleme.
"France's role is to lead towards a peaceful solution to a situation that would be extremely dangerous for the rest of the world," he said. He added that Kouchner was right to say the situation was dangerous and should be taken seriously.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy raised the prospect of war last month, when he said a diplomatic push by the world's major powers was the only alternative to "the Iranian bomb or the bombing of Iran", which he said would be "catastrophic".
Yesterday, the UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei criticized talk of attacking Iran as "hype", saying such options should only be considered as a last resort and only if authorized by the UN Security Council.
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