France does not rule out that separate "European" sanctions may be imposed on Iran over its controversial nuclear program, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Friday.
"We should make progress in discussions not on the Iranian research reactor, but on the question of why the Iranians do not respond to specific requests by the IAEA," the minister told journalists in Paris.
"There will probably be European sanctions," he said.
The UN Security Council imposed a fourth round of sanctions on Iran on June 9. The sanctions include tougher financial controls and an expanded arms embargo. They also stipulate an asset ban and a travel freeze on more than three dozen companies and individuals.
Western powers accuse the Islamic Republic of attempting to build nuclear weapons under the guise of peaceful energy generation.
Russia has expressed concern over reports that the U.S. and EU are preparing unilateral sanctions against Iran in addition to the UN resolution.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it feared the unilateral sanctions would include measures "beyond the agreed decisions of the international community and contradicting the principle of the rule of the international law, enshrined in the UN Charter."
PARIS, June 11 (RIA Novosti)
