French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Iran was seeking to divide the international community in order to pursue its sensitive nuclear activities, local media reported on Thursday.

If the international community was to become divided, Iran would continue its uranium enrichment activities, Douste-Blazy said in an interview with the French weekly Valeurs Actuelles published on Thursday.

"That is what some in Tehran are waiting for, in order to call into question the system of non-proliferation," he said.

He pledged to maintain the dialogue with Iran and warned against moving towards confrontation with the Central Asian state.

"While pursuing consultations on the adoption of a new resolution (at the UN Security Council), we need to maintain dialogue with Tehran," he said.

"If one or two of the permanent members of the Security Council fail to uphold this dialogue, and there is a growing drive -- on either side -- toward confrontation, the international community would split," he added.

The five permanent U.N. Security Council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- and Germany were to meet soon in New York, on the sidelines of this month's U.N. General Assembly, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday.

The United States has accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian program, a charge repeatedly denied by Tehran.

Iran insists that its nuclear program is aimed at generating electricity to meet its surging domestic demand.

Source: Xinhua