Rouhani invited to visit France

Published July 30, 2015
TEHRAN: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius here on Wednesday.—AFP
TEHRAN: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius here on Wednesday.—AFP

TEHRAN: France sought to revive its relations with Iran on Wednesday, inviting President Hassan Rouhani to visit Paris in November, in a gesture that swiftly follows this month’s historic nuclear deal.

The offer came in a letter delivered by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who was in Tehran on a short trip that has attracted a mixture of optimism and criticism.

Mr Fabius said the July 14 nuclear accord between Iran and six world powers including France offered the chance for rapprochement after years of strain.

But some in Iranian media have since attacked the diplomat’s hawkish stance in the nuclear talks. In recent days he also came under fire over his role in a tainted blood scandal dating from the 1980s that killed hundreds of Iranians.

The first French foreign minister to visit Iran in 12 years, Mr Fabius told reporters it was an important trip that could offer a new beginning.

“We are two great, independent countries. It is true that in recent years, for reasons that everyone knows, the ties have cooled but now thanks to the nuclear deal, things will be able to change,” he said at the French embassy.

Around the time Mr Fabius landed in Tehran, however, a small but noisy group of protesters gathered at Mehrabad Airport to oppose the visit, citing the blood deaths that occurred when he was France’s prime minister.

“King of AIDS, you are not welcome,” one billboard read, while another stated: “We will neither forgive nor forget.”

The slogans related to the French National Blood Transfusion Centre, which decades ago exported products contaminated with the AIDS virus. Mr Fabius was acquitted in 1999 by French courts over the affair, which also claimed lives in France.

The French minister also held a short press conference with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, where the invitation to Mr Rouhani from French President Francois Hollande was announced.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

An audit of polio funds at federal and provincial levels is sorely needed, with obstacles hindering eradication efforts targeted.
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...
Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...