Iran must halt uranium enrichment - France

PARIS, Oct 3 (Reuters) Iran must suspend its uranium enrichment work, a French Foreign Ministry spokesman today said after Iran proposed that France should create a consortium to enrich uranium for Iran's nuclear programme.

''The Iranians have to suspend their enrichment activities,'' the ministry's chief spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei told a news briefing.

Mattei was responding to comments earlier by Mohammad Saeedi, the deputy head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, who said the French-led consortium could help end the international standoff over Iran's nuclear programme by monitoring uranium enrichment inside Iran.

Reuters LL RN1739