Iran with nuclear weapons unacceptable--France

PARIS, Apr 19: The prospect of Iran with a military nuclear capability is unacceptable, French President Jacques Chirac said in an interview with an Egyptian newspaper published today.

Chirac, who is due to visit Egypt today, also told the state-owned daily al-Ahram that Iran has a worrying missile programme.

''Iran's current attitude is a source of worry for the region and the international community,'' Chirac said.

''Moreover, Iran is following a worrying missiles programme.'' The United States, which accuses Tehran of seeking atomic bombs, failed yesterday to secure international support for targeted sanctions against Iran and President George W Bush refused to rule out nuclear strikes if diplomacy failed to curb the Islamic Republic's nuclear ambitions.

Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons and says it is enriching uranium solely to generate electricity.

Chirac said the door was still open for Iran to restart discussions with the international community, as long as it complied with the demands of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Security Council.

''More than ever, the choice is in the hands of the Iranian leaders. They must understand that for the international community, the prospect of an Iran with nuclear military capability is unacceptable,'' he said.

The IAEA, the U N nuclear watchdog, is due to report at the end of the month on whether Iran is complying with U N demands that it halt uranium enrichment.

REUTERS