French foreign minister hopeful about Iranian nuclear deal

PARIS – Washington Post (June 1) – France’s foreign minister believes there’s a good chance that world powers will reach a deal with Iran curbing its nuclear activities, but is insisting on sufficient access to military facilities for international inspections.
U.S. and Iranian diplomats tried in recent days to narrow differences before a June 30 deadline for a nuclear deal. The degree of inspectors’ access to military sites has been a key hang-up.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters Monday that an accord “must be perceived as sufficiently robust.” Still, asked whether he thinks a deal will be achieved, Fabius said, “probably yes.”
Western powers believe Iran is seeking nuclear arms while Tehran says it is only producing nuclear energy.
Fabius spoke Monday on a flight back from U.N. climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany.