| Iran's President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy says his country hopes the new Iranian leadership will continue working with European nations to achieve a halt in Iranian nuclear activities.
European nations have been seeking an Iranian pledge not to enrich uranium that could be used in nuclear weapons. Iran says it only wants to produce nuclear energy.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw expressed his country's concern about Iran's nuclear program. He also called for Iranian action against terrorism and for the promotion of human rights. And he criticized the Iranian election as not meeting international standards.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country wants to continue nuclear cooperation with Iran, but opposes any spread of nuclear weapons.
A U.S. State Department spokeswoman said Washington remains skeptical that the Iranian government is interested in addressing its own peoples' desires or international concerns.
The Indonesian government, meanwhile, praised the Iranian people for their support of the democratic electoral process.
And the French news agency quoted a Norwegian government spokesman as saying the election of hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shows that Iranians are more interested in improving their living standards than in democratic reform.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.
