France's Hollande hails deal on Iran nuclear program

French President Francois Hollande on Sunday welcomed the accord reached between the P5+1 countries and Iran to ensure the peaceful nature of its nuclear program. In a statement released by the president's office, the Elysee, France's top official hailed "...an important step in the right direction," "...to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program, and towards the normalization of relations with Iran." Hollande added the interim six-month agreement responded to Paris requirements on stocks and uranium enrichment, suspension of new facilities' implementation and international control. "France will continue to take action to reach a final agreement on this issue," the president said. After four days of intensive talks in Geneva, United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia and Iran reached early on Sunday an accord aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for limited sanctions relief. According to the deal, Iran has been committed to halting enrichment above 5 percent and neutralizing its stockpile of near 20 percent uranium by means of dilution or converting. Furthermore, the country has been committed not to installing more centrifuges, halting work at its plutonium reactor at Arak, and allowing inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency daily access to its enrichment facilities at Natanz and Fordow.