Yesterday by a vote of 14 out of 15, the Security Council adopted resolution 1696 on the Iranian nuclear question. The resolution make it binding upon Iran to suspend all activities related to enrichment and reprocessing, including research and development, as demanded by the IAEA.

France, which co-authored this text, welcomes the vote, which represents an important step in the multilateral handling of the Iranian nuclear issue and testifies to the gravity of the international community's concern.

France also stresses that this resolution gives Iran a deadline for choosing the path of dialogue and rejecting isolation. The ambitious offer made to Iran on June 6 by China, France, Germany, Russia, the United States and United Kingdom (the EU3+3), which provides for a substantial package of cooperation, especially in civilian nuclear power, still stands. The response we expect from Iran is simple and clear: If Iran implements the decisions of the IAEA and the Security Council and enters into negotiations, France and its other EU+3 partners are prepared to refrain from further Security Council actions.

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