Pact with France only after NSG clearance NEW DELHI: India and France have successfully negotiated an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation but it will not be signed during the coming visit of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, according to informed sources.
France had agreed with India’s explanation that it would wait for a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a special exemption by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the sources said on Monday.
Referring to the joint India-France statement in 2005, which noted the possibility of civil nuclear cooperation, the sources said: “The ambition of Mr. Sarkozy is to go one step further and make everything possible for the day when an India-specific safeguards agreement is finalised by the IAEA and special status given by the NSG.”
The sources pointed out that France had consistently advocated India’s exclusion from global civil nuclear commerce for fighting global warming. More>>>
