Share this story!            

France, India vow to boost civil nuclear co-operation

* Are expected to sign major nuclear trade pact
* French President says EU and Indian leaders have decided to ‘accelerate talks’ aimed at reaching free trade deal

MARSEILLES: Indian and French leaders vowed on Monday to boost nuclear energy co-operation at an annual summit on European Union-India ties dominated by trade, global warming and the world financial crisis.

"France, which has great trust in India and its prime minister, has worked hard so that India can have access to civilian nuclear energy," said French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency. He made the comment at a press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who arrived in France from the United States, where he took India a major step closer to rejoining global nuclear commerce after 30 years in the cold.

Pact: Singh was to meet with French political leaders and nuclear energy executives on Tuesday in Paris and was expected to sign a major nuclear trade pact.

If the deal goes through, French nuclear giant Areva said it hoped to negotiate the delivery to India of two third-generation European Pressurized Reactors (EPRs), as well as nuclear fuel. The US House of Representatives on Saturday passed a major atomic energy pact with New Delhi, which if it gets Senate approval will allow India access to Western technology and cheap atomic energy, provided it allows the United Nations inspections of some of its nuclear facilities. India was banned from nuclear trade three decades ago after it carried out its first nuclear test and refused to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty, but the Vienna-based Nuclear Suppliers Group lifted the ban earlier this month after hard lobbying by Washington.

Talks: Sarkozy said that the EU and Indian leaders had decided to ‘accelerate talks’ aimed at reaching a free trade deal. Singh, the leader of the world's largest democracy and one of its fastest growing economies, said he wanted the agreement signed by the end of 2009. Europe is keen to boost ties with the emerging Asian giant, which is seen as a relative haven of stability in an often volatile region, which includes Pakistan and Afghanistan. The global financial crisis also figured in the Marseille talks. Sarkozy said that during their talks Singh had shared the French president's call for a global summit to establish ‘a new international financial system’. Climate change was also discussed during the talks that lasted about an hour. afp

Home | National

Share this story!