[Please note that only the original French text issued by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs may be considered official.]

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Q - Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz, who is handling the Iranian question, called today for IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei to be removed, accusing him of closing his eyes to Teheran's nuclear program. Do you condemn this call or do you think it expresses a concern shared by several countries in the EU, including France?

A - France is very attached to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the international organization of which Mr. ElBaradei is the director general. In this capacity he has our full support.

With regard to Iran's nuclear program, the IAEA reports have regularly referred to the existence of significant gray areas. That is why we will examine with the utmost attention the report that is to be handed over soon by Mr. ElBaradei on the dialogue begun with Iran on "outstanding questions."

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