Nuclear deal a focus of Sarkozy's trip to India

By Shastri Ramachandaran in New Delhi

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni, visited the ancient Indian city of Fatehpur Sikri Sunday, a day after a romantic sunset visit to the Taj Mahal, AFP reported.

The French president is on a four-day official visit to India, and Sunday evening he and his wife traveled to New Delhi and attended a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Civil nuclear cooperation is said to top Sarkozy's agenda. His meeting with Singh was expected to set the tone for today's delegation-level talks. A number of agreements are lined up for approval.

Sarkozy, accompanied by military experts and business leaders, expects to clinch defense and commercial contracts worth billions of dollars.

France's first couple began their Indian trip in the southern city of Bangalore, a major technology center, where the president reiterated France's support for India to gain a permanent seat on the UN Security Council (US), AFP said.

It is "unthinkable" that a country of a billion people should have no representation in the Security Council, he said in his address to the Indian Space Research Organization.

"India is a stabilizing factor in Asia and the world. What is at stake here is the UN's ability to respond to 21st century instruments," he added.

Sarkozy supported India's bid to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which makes France the second country after the US to offer its support.

He also welcomed cooperation in space that will lead the two countries to jointly launch satellites to monitor the climate and oceans next year, and he expressed a desire for more Indians to study in France, according to AFP.

These words were music to the ears of the Indian government, but the real test will be France's expectations for greater nuclear commerce between the two countries.

French nuclear giant Areva has identified provisions in India's nuclear liability law as obstacles to Indian-French nuclear power projects.

Sarkozy, who leaves for Mumbai tomorrow, left no doubt about how important the issue is by saying, "Nuclear energy will now be the focus of our cooperation. We all know how critical it is for India to ensure its energy security."

Meanwhile, hundreds of villagers have come out in protest against the Jaitapur nuclear plant in Maharashtra, the state of which Mumbai is the capital.

Protestors say they will be moved from their land for the 9,900-megawatt power project to be built in collaboration with Areva.

Agencies contributed to this story