France: world should brace for possible war over Iran

FRANCE: The world should brace for a possible war over the Iranian nuclear crisis but seeking a solution through talks should take priority, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said.

"We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war," he said in an interview broadcast on French television and radio.

"We must negotiate right to the end," with Iran, he said, but underlined that if Tehran possessed an atomic weapon, it would represent "a real danger for the whole world."

Calling the nuclear standoff "the greatest crisis" of present times, the minister said: "We will not accept that the bomb is manufactured," and hinted that military plans were on the way.

"We are trying to put in place plans which are the privilege of chiefs of staff and that is not for tomorrow," he said but stressed that although any attack on Iran was far from taking place, "It is normal for us to plan" for any eventuality.

In Washington, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates took a more muted approach on Sunday.

"I will tell you that I think the administration believes at this point that continuing to try and deal with the Iranian threat ... through diplomatic and economic means is by far the preferable approach," he said.

Interviewed on Fox News, Gates also said the United States would have a "real problem" if Syria and North Korea are collaborating on a nuclear program, but refused to confirm reports to that end.

Asked if President George W. Bush would consult Congress before launching any strikes on Iran, Gates said he would not be drawn on "hypotheticals."

"We always say all options are on the table," Gates said. "But clearly, the diplomatic and economic approach is the one we're pursuing."

Washington also accuses Iran of providing sophisticated weaponry to Shiite militias in Iraq, and Syria of turning a blind eye to infiltration of its borders by Sunni insurgents, charges both governments deny.

Kouchner meanwhile said France wanted the European Union to prepare sanctions against Iran, outside the ambit of the UN Security Council, to force Tehran to forsake its nuclear ambitions.

"We have decided that while negotiations are continuing ... to prepare eventual sanctions outside the ambit of UN sanctions. Our good friends, the Germans, suggested that," he said.

The foreign minister also said leading French companies such as Total and Gaz de France had been urged not to undertake new work or contracts in Iran.

Tehran vehemently denies Western allegations it is seeking an atomic weapon, saying its nuclear drive is aimed at providing electricity for a growing population whose fossil fuels will one day run out.

The five permanent Security Council members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - plus Germany are due to meet to discuss a new draft UN resolution on sanctions against Iran on September 21 in Washington.

Paris, Monday, AFP