Iran’s reception of most hawkish world power’s foreign minister on Wednesday will serve as litmus, according to Hollande
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius’s upcoming visit to Tehran will be a key test for Iran after the conclusion of a landmark deal over its controversial nuclear program, President Francois Hollande said Monday.
Fabius is to travel to the Islamic republic on Wednesday over the deal which requires Iran to curb its nuclear capabilities in return for the lifting of crippling sanctions.
“The way he (Fabius) will be received is, for us, a test of Iran’s behavior,” Hollande told reporters.
He was making an apparent reference to attacks by hardliners in Iran against France, which was seen as the most hawkish of the global powers negotiating the deal with Tehran.
Hollande also said Iran should play a role in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, saying: “We expect president (Hassan) Rouhani to now prove that Iran can help to address the grave crises in the region, particularly Syria.”
The UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution endorsing the nuclear deal this month, clearing a path to lift sanctions.
In addition to opening up trade, the agreement has been touted as a chance for greater contact between Iran and leading nations over common interests, particularly on tackling the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
Fabius’s trip will be hot on the heels of a similar visit from German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who was the first top Western official to visit the country since world powers and Tehran struck a nuclear deal after years of negotiations.
France used to have a strong presence in Iran before the sanctions went into effect, with Peugeot and Renault being major players in the Iranian auto industry and energy giant Total heavily involved in the oil sector.
But two-way trade has fallen from four billion euros ($4.3 billion) in 2004 to just 500 million euros in 2013, according to French statistics.
As reported by The Times of Israel