We are very vigilant concerning the respect of the ceasefire
Syria / Iran - Remarks to the press by Mr. François Delattre, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations - 31 January 2017
On Iran, we will have the AOB at the American request. I think indeed it is a good time to have an exchange of views on this last launch.
As you know, our Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is in Teheran as we speak and he talked about it earlier today. So I have nothing to add on the substance of things. He did a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart and he recalled that France has expressed on multiple occasions its concerns regarding the continuation of ballistic missile launches. So again, I think that the American request is timely and appropriate and we will have an exchange of views on this important and concerning issue.
Q: Did you discuss it with Ambassador Haley during your meeting yesterday?
We had a very good and very constructive meeting with Ambassador Haley yesterday; excellent spirit. As you know, we have known each other for a few years. We discussed a wide range of issues.
We will have important consultations with Staffan de Mistura on Syria.
You know our position, we are very vigilant concerning the respect of the cease fire and the humanitarian access. In the same vein, we believe it is very important that the tripartite mechanism monitoring the cease fire work concretely. We’ll see what our Russian colleagues have to say about it. And a very important point for us, the UN has to be front and center in the political process. We want the Astana meeting to be a step toward a UN process. That’s the key for us. And a UN process means also respect of resolution 2254, respect of the Geneva communiqué, meaning we start with the transition, then the constitution and then the elections. If we all stay on this line, then we can move ahead.