France warning of war with Iran

HEIGHTENED PROSPECT OF WAR OVER IRAN'S NUKES


The
prospect of a war over Iran's alleged plans to develop a nuclear weapon
could be a lot closer tonight. The Foreign Minister of France - which
until recently had been pushing the diplomatic path - has declared that
the world should brace itself for an armed conflict. But Iran has been
characteristically defiant.

Prepare for war, but keep
talking to Iran. That's the message from the French Foreign Minister.
He's says the nuclear standoff is currently the world's biggest crisis.

BERNARD KOUCHNER, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER: (TRANSLATION) We have to prepare for the worst.

JOURNALIST: What is the worst?

BERNARD KOUCHNER: The worst, Sir, is war.

JOURNALIST: And how do you prepare yourself for a war?

BERNARD KOUCHNER: We are preparing ourselves by trying to put
together plans that are the chief of staff's prerogative, but that is
not about to happen tomorrow.

France wants the EU to prepare new sanctions against Iran - in
addition to two United Nations resolutions - to show that the
international community means business. Bernard Kouchner says he's also
asked several large French companies not to bid for tenders in Iran.
His comments echo French President Nicolas Sarkozy's hawkish foreign
policy speech last month, in which he said that a diplomatic push by
the world's powers was the only alternative to bombing Iran.

BERNARD KOUCHNER: We negotiate right to the end. At the same
time, we must prepare to show we are serious, that we don't accept this
threat.

Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, remains defiant. He
says Iran has mastered nuclear technology and will not bow to
international pressure. The US is, for now, playing down the prospect
of a military strike.

ROBERT GATES, US DEFENSE SECRETARY: We always say all options
are on the table, but clearly, the diplomatic and economic approach is
the one that we are pursuing.

The US is calling for a UN Security Council meeting later this
week to discuss a third sanctions resolution against Iran. Mr Gates
also says the US will have a "real problem" if reports suggesting that
Syria and North Korea are collaborating on a nuclear program are found
to be true.

ROBERT GATES: All I will say is that we are watching the North Koreans very carefully. We watch the Syrians very carefully.

Syria and North Korea have angrily dismissed the speculation in
US and British newspapers which have suggested that an alleged Israeli
air strike in Syria earlier this month was targeting a joint nuclear
facility.

Cassandra Hill