CAIRO: Talk of a war with Iran to combat its ambitions to develop a nuclear bomb has increased as of late, with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner stating in a television and radio interview that "the world should prepare for the worst over the Iranian nuclear crisis. On an official level, Egypt does not support talk of an impending war on Iran, preferring peaceful methods to avert the crisis. At the same time, some believe that in real terms, it would offer low level assistance in a war against Iran. Mohamed Bassiouny, chairman of the Committee on Arab and Foreign Affairs and National Security at the Shoura Council, told Daily News Egypt that the Egyptian position is to seek a peaceful resolution. "Our position is to solve things through peaceful means, Bassiouny said, "we don't agree with the use of violence at all. All conflicts in the region can be resolved with peaceful methods. On the other hand, international relations expert at Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies Emad Gad told Daily News Egypt that there will be a difference between the official Egyptian stance in case of a war with Iran and what Egypt will actually do. "Essentially its [Egypt's] position will be one of coordination and cooperation with the United States. However, on an official and public level, Egypt will call for a peaceful resolution, Gad said. This doesn't mean that Egypt will commit troops or any such obvious help, but rather it will offer a more subtle kind of cooperation, according to Gad. "Maybe they would open the Suez Canal for American warships, or provide intelligence gathering, he said, "any sort of help that is not obvious. The French Foreign Minister was speaking to RTL Radio Sunday evening when he said, "We will not accept that such a bomb is made. We must prepare ourselves for the worst, and the worst is war. Additionally, European countries are currently considering economic sanctions against Iran, outside the UN, Kouchner said. American Defense Secretary Robert Gates took a less inflamed approach in Washington, stating that for now the US would continue efforts to counter Iran through economic and diplomatic pressure. "I think that the administration believes at this point that continuing to try and deal with the Iranian threat, the Iranian challenge, through diplomatic and economic means is by far the preferable approach. That's the one we are using, he said. Gates did not mention the new multi-billion dollar arms deals the US has recently struck with its Middle Eastern allies, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel, which Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice unequivocally announced was to counter Iran and its allies Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah. Iran's reaction to Kouchner's comments and continued US criticism has been patently antagonistic in kind. An Iranian News Agency (Irna) editorial shot back at the French and their perceived pro-American stance. "The new occupants of the Elysee want to copy the White House, it read, accusing French President Nicolas Sarkozy of adopting "an American skin and that "the French people will never forget the era when a non-European moved into the Elysee. Iran also fired a threat to the US, with General Mohammed Hassan Koussechi from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards telling Irna, "Today the Americans are around our country but this does not mean that they are encircling us. They are encircled themselves and are within our range. "If the United States is saying that they have identified 2,000 targets in Iran, then what is certain is that it is the Americans who are all around Iran and are equally our targets, he continued, "today . we have reached capacities that allow us to hit the enemy at a range of 2,000 km. The International Atomic Energy Agency's annual meeting began proceedings Monday in Vienna. Iran's nuclear ambitions topped the agenda.
