Today's Date:

Statement made by Philippe Douste-Blazy, Minister of Foreign Affairs, after the adoption of UNSCR 1747

I welcome the unanimous adoption of Resolution 1747 by the Security Council which has just taken place in New York. In accordance with its previous commitments, the Security Council is today imposing additional sanctions on Iran in the wake of Tehran's refusal to suspend its sensitive nuclear activities.

These measures extend the sanctions which have already been in place for three months to additional individuals and entities contributing to Iran's proliferating activities. They concern the exports of weapons from and to Iran and provide for new restrictions in the economic and financial spheres.

These measures became inevitable when the IAEA observed in its latest report that Iran was still refusing to comply with her international obligations as decided by the preceding United Nations resolutions.

Today, our objective remains, more than ever, to convince Iran to comply with her international commitments. With this new resolution, the Security Council is reaffirming the clear choice confronting the Iranian leaders: to cooperate with the international community or pursue their enrichment-related and reprocessing activities and worsen still further their international isolation.

In this respect, the capture of 15 British sailors and marines by the Iranian forces is a worrying act which goes against the efforts to calm things down and is one we condemn. I call for their immediate release.

Once again, I urge the Iranian authorities to opt for dialogue and return to the negotiating table./.