KEY POINTS:
President Jacques Chirac has been forced into an embarrassing retreat after appearing to single-handedly change French policy by saying Iran's possession of a nuclear bomb would not be "very dangerous".
In remarks to American and French journalists this week, Chirac added that if Iran were to launch a nuclear attack on Israel, "it would not have gone off 200m into the atmosphere before Tehran would be razed to the ground".
After realising the impact of his remarks which he believed to be "off the record", the official transcript of the interview removed the comments and the journalists were summoned back to the Elysee Palace the following day.
"It is I who was wrong and I do not want to contest it," a contrite Chirac told them. Yesterday, the 74-year old President's about-turn was complete when his office issued a statement insisting that France's Iran policy, which has been carefully aligned with that of Britain and Germany, had not changed.
"France, along with the international community, cannot accept the prospect of an Iran equipped with a nuclear weapon," the statement said, adding that following the clarification, "there should not be a controversy on such a serious subject".
The newspaper Le Monde said the comments represented "a radical turning point", which had seriously dented the country's credibility. "One asks what credibility the French position will now have."
- INDEPENDENT
