By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
French President Jacques Chirac said Tuesday that it would be a "grave error" for Iran and North Korea to ignore the international community's repeated warnings and press forward with contested nuclear programs.
Chirac, in a broad address laying out French foreign policy objectives for 2006, said the world must ensure that agreements on nuclear proliferation are not trampled on.
"Everyone recognizes that Iran or North Korea, for example, have a right to peacefully use nuclear energy," Chirac said. "But it is imperative for the international community to ensure that the commitments reached for everyone's security are respected."
Iran and North Korea "would be committing a grave error if they do not grasp the hand that we are extending to them," Chirac told diplomats.