Top French officials praise IAEA work in Iran

PARIS, Oct 19 (KUNA) -- Senior French officials, led by President Emmanuel Macron, on Thursday praised the quality of the work carried out by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Iran, where the Agency is monitoring The Islamic Republic's compliance with the international nuclear agreement signed in 2015.
Macron hosted a meeting here with IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano to review work on non-proliferation, where he noted that the Agency's actions were "indispensable" to promote peaceful and safe use of nuclear energy.
The French leader also broached the Iranian issue, following US criticism of the nuclear deal and veiled threats from President Donald Trump that he could withdraw from the nuclear accord.
Macron addressed with Amano the inspections carried out by the Agency in Iran and "praising the quality of the work carried out by the IAEA, the President of the Republic recalled France's attachment to the framework set out by the agreement" with Iran, the Elysee Palace said in a statement.
He urged the IAEA chief to ensure "the strict respect for the stipulations of the accord, in all its dimensions." Macron and Amano also discussed the "challenge of nuclear proliferation in North Korea." The IAEA chief later met with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who has been vocal in his support for the nuclear deal with Iran and said that other concerns outside of that accord - such as Iran's ballistic programme or other policies in the region - should be discussed separately. (end) jk.hb