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Iran, France talk of ‘new era’ in ties after nuclear deal
Posted On Jul 29 2015
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France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius arrived in Tehran for a one-day visit today and was due to meet President Hassan Rouhani and several ministers, Iran’s state news agency IRNA said. Rouhani told Fabius that the nuclear deal could “bring better relations with Europe”, IRNA reported.
Some Iranian hardliners want to block French business deals because of France’s close relationship with Gulf Arab governments that are locked in a regional power struggle with Tehran as well as its stance during the nuclear negotiations.
Fabius said earlier that cars, agriculture and the environment would be a particular focus of a high-level French economic and business delegation due to visit Iran in September.
The invite came in a letter addressed to Rouhani from French President Francois Hollande which Fabius delivered on his trip to the Iranian capital, two weeks after a nuclear deal was struck between the Islamic republic and world powers.
Fabius visit to Iran is the first by a top French diplomat in more than a decade. The country of 80 million is set for 3-percent growth this year.
Sigmar Gabriel, the German Economy Minister and Deputy Chancellor to Angela Merkel, was the first European official to travel to Iran after the nuclear agreement was announced in Vienna this month, lifting worldwide restrictions on trade with Iran.
Marking a contrast to his tough stance in the nuclear talks, Fabius was quoted as saying by Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB that France wanted to foster good relations with Iran.
Carmakers Renault and Peugeot were major players in Iran’s automotive sector before major new sanctions were introduced in 2011, while oil company Total was active in Iran until 2006. He goes on to add: “Iranian (university) students are also wondrous to us; they are the face of Iran in French universities and shine brilliantly”. The scandal involved blood supplies contaminated with HIV that were imported from France at the time when Fabius was prime minister and which infected hundreds of Iranians.
