(IRNA) - French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy stressed Sunday evening the need to continue nuclear negotiations with Iran, reports Trend.
In an interview with France's cable news network LCI, the minister warned against any confrontation with Iran, saying it would widen differences between the Islamic world and the West.
Douste-Blazy added that the West, on the other hand, had to extend a hand of friendship to Iran and pave the ground for nuclear talks with the Iranian side to continue.
Rejecting accusations Tehran was pursuing a nuclear program for military purposes, he said the fact that Iranian authorities were still willing to hold talks on the nuclear issue meant Tehan was not after nuclear arms.
Douste-Blazy stressed that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had time and again voiced readiness to hold nuclear talks and would negotiate on all issues.
Referring to French President Jacques Chirac's proposal that Iran be allowed to continue uranium enrichment while it was negotiating with the West, Douste-Blazy said his proposal put an end to the impasse on Iran's nuclear case.
French President Jacques Chirac said on Saturday he was optimistic a negotiated solution could be found to the standoff over Iran's nuclear program.
"We should do everything to find a solution via dialogue, which is always the best way to resolve problems," said the president.
Washington and Paris are completely in agreement on how to deal with Iran, said the French foreign minister.