UNITED NATIONS — France has asked its fellow members on the United Nations Security Council to start work on a new round of sanctions against Iran for its refusal to verify the peaceful character of its nuclear program.
France’s desire is supported by Britain and the United States, two other permanent members of the council. But China and Russia, both of which also wield veto power, insist there is still time for diplomacy.On December 10, France’s permanent representative to the UN, Gerard Araud, told reporters that the time for negotiating is over.
“We want to solve this issue but again, we are following a dual track policy, on the one side asking for negotiations, on the other side increasing the pressure on Iran and we consider that the time has come to increase this pressure,” Araud said.
