PARIS, April 3 (KUNA) -- Any nuclear deal with Iran must be perceived to be solid by countries of the region in order to avoid any temptation for nuclear proliferation by regional powers and this is one of the reasons that France has been firm on guarantees that Tehran will not seek a nuclear weapon in the future, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Friday.
Commenting the preliminary accord reached between the P5+1 and Iran Thursday in Lausanne, Switzerland, Fabius said that while the agreement is clear progress on ending the controversy over Iran's nuclear programmes, "some things remain to be completed" before a final agreement on June 30.
"Civil nuclear energy, 100 percent yes (for Iran), the atomic bomb, no," the Minister said on "Europe 1" radio.
"The problem is that it is the same machines that allow both to create civil nuclear energy and also the atomic bomb, thus we have to get things in the right proportions," he added.
He noted that this was the principal reason for getting a big reduction in Iran's stock of uranium enrichment centrifuges, which will be reduced from 19,000 to just over 6,000 and the number of functioning centrifuges will be reduced to 5,060 from 9,200 at the present time.
Also important, Fabius said, was the agreement that Iran would not enrich uranium beyond the 3.5 percent level compared with actual enrichment levels of 20 percent, which is getting closer to the more than 90 percent level needed to make a nuclear weapon.
Also, Iran has committed to bring down its stockpile of enriched uranium from 8,000 kilos (8 tons) to 300 kilos.
"France has been firm since the beginning," Fabius indicated, revealing that it was Paris that had blocked a potential agreement in late 2013 which it felt did not have enough safeguards and did not limit enough Iran's capacity and facilities at that time.
"The text (in October/November 2013) was not solid. It did not provide guarantees for the Arak (plutonium) reactor and for uranium enrichment," he said.
He remarked that France was alone in opposing agreement at that time but that later others from the P5+1 group consented to the French position.
The group is made up of the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany.
"It was a bit difficult (at that time). The Iranians said that if it was to be like that they would return home" and break off the talks. They stayed in the negotiating process upon the urging of the Chinese delegation, Fabius said.
"So the first (provisional 2013) accord that was signed was solid, more solid...and France was regarded in a particular way because they knew we wanted an agreement but on a firm basis," he affirmed.
"If the agreement (to be signed in June) is not veritably solid, this means Iran could have a bomb and that is unacceptable. (And) if this accord is not perceived as solid, the countries of the region ... are going to think the accord is not solid so 'we ourselves' are going to equip ourselves with nuclear (weapons) and that would mean proliferation and it would be very dangerous for everyone," Fabius stated.
Thursday's agreement with Iran "is bad news for no one", not even Israel, and "if we achieve the aim that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon, this is positive for (regional) countries." "For this we have made a step in the right direction" in Lausanne, the Foreign Minister said.
The French Foreign Minister also remarked that "no deal yet" has been agreed on lifting punitive UN, European Union and individual country sanctions against Iran in exchange for a nuclear accord.
He said the P5+1 had told Iran that they would "ease the sanctions" if Tehran respected the commitments on limiting uranium enrichment and stocks and other issues.
"The Iranians want sanctions lifted immediately ... we told them we would ease sanctions in line with respect for what you agreed to, and if you don't honour your commitments, we can, of course, return to the situation of before," Fabius said.
Since 2006, Iran has been placed under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions and has also been targeted by separate European Union, US and other country measures, sanctions that have had a devastating effect on the Iranian economy, currency and trade. (end) jk.rk