At the outset I would like to thank Ambassador Nishida for his first 90-day report as Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1737 (2006). I take this opportunity to hail his predecessor, Ambassador Takasu, for his outstanding work as Chair of the Committee.

The general context is known to all of us and is a source of serious concerns for my country. These concerns are confirmed by the most recent report of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), dated 6 September (S/2010/465, annex, enclosure). Please allow me, as my British colleague has done, to recall some elements of the report.

• First, the report stresses that Iran continues to refuse to respect its international commitments and to meet the requirements of the Security Council and of the IAEA Board of Governors.
• In addition, Iran continues its activities to enrich uranium to 3.5 per cent and 20 per cent and its heavy water related projects, in violation of repeated demands by the international community and in the absence of any credible civilian purpose. Today I wish to reiterate that Iran's nuclear programme has no credible civilian application.
• Iran's cooperation with the Agency is insufficient and is worsening, as the Director General recently stressed at the opening of the IAEA Board of Governors meeting. Inter alia, Iran has objected to the appointment of two IAEA inspectors in June and it continues not to cooperate in resolving pending issues, including those linked to the military dimension of the Iranian programme.

I also note that Iran has announced its intention to begin construction of a third uranium enrichment facility during the first half of 2011, without providing the information requested by the Agency and counter to its Safeguards Agreement; and it has done so after the revelation of a clandestine enrichment facility in Qom. France is also extremely concerned by Iran's activities beyond the nuclear issue, in particular arms exports and its ballistic missiles programme. Iran continues activities related to ballistic missiles that could deliver a nuclear weapon, including launches making use of ballistic missile technology. Such activities are contrary to resolution 1929 (2010), in particular its paragraph 9.

Our response must be decisive. The Council and the 1737 Committee must focus on these violations of Security Council resolutions and provide an appropriate response. Here, we hope that the panel of experts which will be established will be able to investigate these violations in accordance with the provisions of the resolution.

Our aim, of course, is dialogue. But it must be acknowledged that Iran has refused to respond to our offers of dialogue and cooperation since 2006.

The ball is in Iran's court: Iran must regain the trust of the international community.

The measures adopted by the Security Council are clearly not an end in themselves. Their goal is to convince Iran to negotiate in line with the dual-track approach that the six countries have consistently advocated.

To be fully effective and attain their objectives, these measures must be scrupulously implemented by all and their application must be strictly monitored. That is the responsibility of all parties and of the 1737 Committee.

For its part, the European Union, by adopting measures on 26 July to rigorously implement resolution 1929 (2010), is fully playing its role; other countries have decided to follow that example.

As Ambassador Nishida did in his briefing, my country encourages all delegations that have not yet done so to submit their national reports to the 1737 Committee on the implementation of resolution 1929 (2010).

It is also essential for the effectiveness of the Council's work and for its credibility that the international community ensure full respect for the measures adopted by the Security Council.

The 1737 Committee plays an essential role in that respect. The Committee's activities reveal the scope and diversity of Iran's practices to evade the sanctions and thus confirm that we must maintain great vigilance.

It is important for the 1737 Committee to know that Member States are properly implementing these measures. It must continue to investigate alleged cases of violations submitted to it and continue its assistance and outreach activities. My country welcomes the fact that at the end of July the 1737 Committee was able to adopt a complete work programme for the coming year. We encourage all States to cooperate with the 1737 Committee and with the future panel of experts established by resolution 1929 (2010), which should enhance the effectiveness of the Committee's actions. In that context, my country fully endorses the desire expressed by the Permanent Representative of Japan that the panel of experts be rapidly constituted.