Manmohan-Sarkozy to sign Nuclear deal
Paris,
Sep
30:
Indian
Prime
Minister
Manmohan
Singh
received
a
red
carpet
welcome
here
on
Monday,
Sep
30
evening,
hours
after
participating
in
a
significant
Ninth
India-European
Summit
in
the
port
town
of
Marseilles.
He
was
received
by
French
Immigration,
Integration
and
National
Identity
Minister
Brice
Hortefeux.
The
final
leg
of
Singh''s
10-day
visit
to
the
United
States
and
France
will
see
him
holding
talks
with
French
President
Nicolas
Sarkozy
today
on
various
issues
of
mutual
importance
to
the
two
countries.
Singh
is
expected
to
consolidate
ties
in
the
areas
of
trade
and
investment,
defense,
space,
civil
nuclear
cooperation
and
high
technology.
France''s
state-controlled
Areva
SA
is
hoping
to
sign
a
contract
to
supply
two
nuclear
reactors
to
India,
a
company
spokeswoman
said
on
Monday.
Singh
had
arrived
in
France
on
Sunday
to
participate
in
the
India-European
Union
Summit.
The
India-EU
talks
covered
issues
ranging
from
climate
change
to
security.
Singh
said
yesterday
that
they
had
agreed
to
add
new
areas
of
cooperation,
including
solar
energy
and
civilian
nuclear
research.
Trade
between
India
and
the
27-nation
EU
has
more
than
doubled
from
25.6
billion
euros
(36.7
billion
dollars)
in
2000
to
55.6
billion
euros
(66.7
billion
dollars)
last
year,
and
both
sides
see
the
possibility
of
further
expansion
in
this
sector.
But
the
primary
focus
of
Singh''s
visit
to
Paris
this
time
will
be
civil
nuclear
cooperation
in
the
wake
of
India
getting
clearance
to
conduct
nuclear
trade
with
the
rest
of
the
world
by
both
the
International
Atomic
Energy
Agency
(IAEA)
and
the
45-nation
Nuclear
Suppliers
Group.
The
Joint
Action
Plan
initialed
by
India
and
the
EU
envisages
cooperation
in
civil
nuclear
research
and
development
in
a
manner
consistent
with
their
international
obligations,
and
to
enhance
co-operation
within
the
framework
of
the
International
Thermonuclear
Experimental
Reactor
(ITER)
Agreement
and
through
the
conclusion
of
a
bilateral
agreement
between
Euratom
and
India
in
the
field
of
fusion
energy
research.
It
also
envisages
collaborative
research
and
capacity
building
in
new
fields
of
science
and
technology,
which
will
be
determined
by
the
Steering
Committee
of
the
EC-India
Science
and
Technology
Agreement,
besides
strengthening
dialogue
between
the
Indian
Space
Research
Organization
(ISRO),
the
Department
of
Space
(DOS),
the
European
Space
Agency
(ESA),
and
the
European
Commission.
As
Dr.
Singh
said
at
a
joint
press
conference
with
Sarkozy
in
Marseilles
on
Monday:
"Sometime
ago,
the
Nuclear
Suppliers
Group
adjusted
its
guidelines
in
the
matter
of
civil
nuclear
cooperation
with
India.
We
look
forward
to
working
with
France
and
other
countries
in
this
area.
We
are
having
a
summit
tomorrow.
I
hope
some
results
will
come
out
of
this
summit."
On
his
part,
Sarkozy
has
said
that
civil
nuclear
energy
should
be
seen
as
the
cleanest
form
of
energy
in
a
world
that
was
bedeviled
by
global
warming
and
other
environmental
problems.
He
confirmed
that
on
Tuesday
he
would
be
talking
to
Singh
on
the
issue
of
nuclear
cooperation,
and
thereafter,
both
governments
would
take
a
decision.
India
and
France
had
initialed
the
Framework
Agreement
for
Civil
Nuclear
Cooperation
in
January
but
could
not
sign
it
pending
a
waiver
from
the
45-nation
Nuclear
Suppliers
Group
(NSG).
Sarkozy
is
already
on
record
as
saying
that
the
India-International
Atomic
Energy
Agency
(IAEA)
Safeguards
Agreement
and
the
NSG
waiver
for
India
are
''historic
landmarks."
ANI