TEHRAN -- Gerard Larcher, the visiting president of the Commission on Economic Affairs and Planning at the French Senate, has said here that Paris supports Iran's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Larcher told reporters at a news conference that the Islamic Republic will need to have a successful performance in the transition period before entering the WTO.

He said the Iranian Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Tahmasb Mazaheri had told him that Tehran would like the transition to be longer, but less than the 8-year period demanded by China from WTO.

Larcher said the French delegation had discussed economic and political issues with Iranian authorities, stressing that he felt EU approach toward Iran was improving well, IRNA reported.

He also said that he had discussed regional developments, the Iraqi crisis and the rebuilding of the country, as well as the role of Iran and France in that connection in his meetings with Iranian officials.

Larcher said he had discussed providing guarantees for foreign investment in Iran, reforming taxation systems, implementing single-rate currencies, and developing customs tariffs in the Islamic Republic.

He further said Iran's industries and agriculture still lack the required standards for entering the WTO, and said Iran should remove those shortcomings to join the organization.