France's Hollande Considers Inviting Iran to Proposed Conference on Jihadists
Iran Could Be Welcome Despite Nuclear Program
Mr. Hollande said that while France continues to pressure Iran to abandon any plan to develop nuclear weapons, Tehran can become an interlocutor on how to combat militants calling themselves Islamic State and other jihadist groups.
"It's true that the crisis in Iraq has demonstrated our preoccupations aren't always on diverging paths," Mr. Hollande said in a speech to French ambassadors.
Iran, which says it's only pursuing a civilian nuclear program, is supporting some of the ethnic groups in Iraq that are engaged in a fight with the Islamic State.
Mr. Hollande has prosposed holding an international conference in Paris on the problem of jihadists in the coming weeks.
Although he called for a large coalition against Islamic militants in the region, Mr. Hollande said Syria's President Bashar al-Assad couldn't be part of it.
"Let's be clear," Mr. Hollande said. "Assad can't be a partner in the fight against terrorism, he's the objective ally of jihadists. There can't be a choice between two barbarian regimes."