The Hindu : France for strategic ties with India: Raffarin

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 03, 2003

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France for strategic ties with India: Raffarin

By Vaiju Naravane

Paris Feb. 2. France has made a strategic choice in favour of India. "This is a choice that personally involves the President of the Republic, Jacques Chirac. It speaks of our conviction that India has a major role to play in the world today and underlines our desire to develop a strategic partnership with India,'' the French Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, told The Hindu in an exclusive interview ahead of his departure to India for a two- day state visit.

Mr. Raffarin is heading an impressive delegation of over 170 persons that includes four crucial Ministers — Finance, Infrastructure and Transport, New Technologies and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, over 20 top industrialists, MPs, Senators and cultural personalities.

In the interview covering a wide range of subjects, including divisions within the European Union over Iraq and France's ties with Pakistan, Mr. Raffarin said that fighting terrorism was "in Pakistan's interest.'' Pakistan had a duty to honour its commitments to fight terrorism, internal or external.

During his trip, Mr. Raffarin will visit the Aero-India show in Bangalore. In New Delhi, he will have meetings with the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee as well as Indian business leaders. Mr. Raffarin said his personal objective was to deepen ties with India, particularly in the economic and commercial sector. "If we are to change stereotypical perceptions of each other, communication is vital as are exchanges between civil society in the two countries.''

India is expected to finalise a contract for the purchase for six Scorpene SKK submarines from France, a contract valued at $1.8 billion. India is also negotiating the purchase of some 60 Airbus aircraft for Indian Airlines and Air-India. The French Transport Minister, Gilles de Robien, accompanying the Prime Minister on this trip, is expected to push hard for an early conclusion of the deal. India is also negotiating for the outright purchase of 18 Mirage 2000H fighter planes and the construction in India of the remaining 108 planes for a contract estimated at $8 billion.

The French manufacturer of aircraft engines, Snecma, is signing an MOU with Hindustan Aeronautics for the manufacture of PM333B engines under licence from the Snecma subsidiary, Turbomeka. The engine developed in India will be called Shakti.

French officials are at pains to point out that France's relationship with India is "qualitatively different'' from its ties with Pakistan. "There are no new contracts under way. We are cooperating with India in advanced research, high technology. There is genuine transfer of technology in defence. India is a strategic partner. We do not have the same discourse with Pakistan,'' officials here told The Hindu.

Mr. Raffarin underscored this when he declared: "With India we are developing a defence relationship based on good understanding and mutual confidence. Our industrialists are tying up partnerships with the Indian armaments industry to develop joint projects especially in the aeronautics and naval sectors.''

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