Hollande asks Rouhani to help resolve Mideast crises

Amid growing Western contacts with Tehran, French president discusses nuke deal implementation with Iranian counterpart

By AFP 24 July 2015, 12:37 am

Edit

French President Francois Hollande makes a statement in front of Cote d'Or and Bourgogne prefecture on July 23, 2015 in the central eastern city of Dijon after a meeting with leaders of farmers unions and public investors. (AFP Photo/Bertrand Guay)

PARIS – French President Francois Hollande conferred with Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani Thursday on “conditions for implementing” the Iran nuclear accord, Hollande’s office said.

The two leaders also agreed to “step up bilateral cooperation in this new context,” the presidency said in a statement.

Hollande “expressed the wish for Iran to contribute positively to the resolution of crises in the Middle East,” it added.

Rouhani meanwhile tweeted that “President Francois Hollande welcomes #IranDeal and Iran’s constructive role in the negotiations, which is fostering peace in the region.”

In phone call now, #French President @fhollande welcomed #IranDeal & Iran's constructive role in negotiations, leading to peace in region

Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories

Newsletter email address

By signing up, you agree to the terms

— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) July 23, 2015

The conversation marks the latest step by Western leaders to beef up contacts with Iran since the July 14 deal in Vienna.

The 10-year agreement calls for a lifting of sanctions that have crippled the Iranian economy in exchange for measures to ensure Tehran does not build nuclear weapons.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is to visit Iran next Wednesday.

His trip follows a similar visit by German Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, who was the first top Western official to visit the country since the deal was struck.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stands next to a portrait of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as he leaves at the end of a press conference in Tehran on June 13, 2015. (AFP Photo/Behrouz Mehri)

Austrian President Heinz Fischer in September will make the first visit to Iran by a European head of state since 2004, his office said Thursday.

That visit will take place from September 7 to 9.

On Monday the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution endorsing the deal on Iran’s nuclear program and cleared a path to lift sanctions crippling its economy.

The accord has been touted as an opening for greater contact between Iran and the leading nations in other areas, especially on tackling the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.