France's Chirac Tries to Sabotage Iran Sanctions

WASHINGTON -- "French President Jacques Chirac is attempting to sabotage U.S.-led efforts to apply economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran, according to a report by the center-left French daily, Le Monde.

In a throwback to much-criticized behavior during the buildup to the Iraq war, Chirac planned to send his foreign minister on a secret trip to Tehran in late January, armed with a personal letter of assurances for Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the daily reported.

Chirac wanted 'to send a message to the Iranian authorities that a channel of communication can be kept open despite the vote by the United Nations Security Council' to impose sanctions on Iran, the paper wrote." Read more.....