Front Page

“Manmohan’s visit holds a special meaning”

New Delhi: “This visit [Prime Minister Manmohan’s] holds a special meaning for me... We will launch our civil nuclear cooperation which will become a cornerstone of our partnership,” French President Sarkozy said, while talking about the agenda of his bilateral meeting with Dr. Singh.

India and France initialled the Framework Agreement for Civil Nuclear Cooperation in January but could not sign it pending a waiver from the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group. With the NSG giving its nod, the two leaders can now sign the agreement.

Prior to their bilateral talks, the two leaders will meet on Monday in Marseille for the India-EU summit as France is the current chair of the 27-nation European body.

Describing the India-IAEA Safeguards Agreement and the NSG waiver for India as “historic landmarks,” Mr. Sarkozy noted how France and particularly he had worked for ensuring exemption to India to conduct civil nuclear trade.

“France has been working towards this over the past 10 years and I have personally been actively involved in building the consensus that has emerged at the IAEA and NSG,” he said. “I’ve done so because it’s important for India’s development, because it’s important for the energy security of the world, the fight against global warming, and because these agreements and decisions strengthen the global non-proliferation regime,” he said.

France is the world leader in nuclear energy, which provides it 40 cent of its energy needs and 80 per cent of its electricity in both competitive and eco-friendly conditions.

Mr. Sarkozy said that given the “potential of our two countries, France’s expertise and know-how in this key area, the long tradition of cooperation and exchanges between our scientists and engineers, and the atmosphere of trust between our respective countries, the prospects are very promising.”

The agreement will open up a wide area of cooperation, particularly in the areas of research, training, safety and security.

Pointing out that the Indo-French summit was taking place at a time of “great challenges for the world,” he said the two sides would further enhance cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism and peace and security.

In this context, he said the two countries should continue to increase cooperation in all fields, such as judicial and police cooperation, exchange of information, and joint work in appropriate multilateral fora.

“We have to work alongside each other to rise to this challenge and defeat terror. That’s why we shall hold in-depth discussions on this issue in Marseille and Paris,” he said.

“We all face the scourge of terrorism, and I would like to express France’s solidarity with India, which was recently so brutally hit. We can and must increase our cooperation for security,” he said.

Mr. Sarkozy said as India was engaged in modernising its armed forces, France was ready to offer its best equipment and develop cooperation which can include technology transfers and industrial cooperation. — PTI

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu