India, France set to sign civil N-deal

MARSEILLE, France (AFP) - Indian and French leaders vowed to boost nuclear energy cooperation Monday at an annual summit on EU-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 US, where he took India a major step closer to rejoining global nuclear commerce after 30 years in the cold.

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

French energy firm Areva said Monday it hopes to profit from the nuclear pact by supplying the Asian giant with two of the latest design of reactors.

A spokeswoman said Areva planned to ship two third-generation European Pressurised Reactors and a supply of nuclear fuel to India, which could lead to a bigger contract to supply a series of power plants.

Since Sarkozy's election last year, France has signed nuclear power deals with half a dozen developing nations in the Middle East and north Africa.

Sarkozy also said at Monday's summit in the southern French port of Marseille that European Union and Indian leaders had decided to "accelerate talks" aimed at reaching a free trade deal.

But European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, also speaking at Monday's press conference, said that "we appreciate the vigour and clarity of Mr Singh's comments, he has clearly condemned these attacks."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has made it clear that India does not want another nuclear weapons state in its neighbourhood and will under no circumstance support Iran's nuclear weapons programme, reports IBN-CNN TV channel

"We don't support a nuclear weapon state emerging in our region. So there is no question of supporting nuclear weapon ambitions of Iran," Manmohan Singh said in Marseilles on Monday.

"I have said earlier and I repeat that Iran is a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty and is entitled to all that is needed for development of its civil nuclear programme. And as a member of NPT, it has also to undertake all obligations of the NPT," he said.

Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy Monday asked Pakistan to commit itself to root out terrorism and underlined if Islamabad shows "enough determination to fight terror, there would be no need for the United States hot pursuit of militants in Pakistani territory."

"There is a need to cleanse extremism and terrorism in Pakistan.

I told Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari that there was a need to combat terrorism," President Sarkozy, also current president of 27-nation EU, told reporters at a joint Press interaction with visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after 9th India-EU Summit in this port town.

"We need to help Pakistan if it shows enough determination to combat the Taliban and extremist forces," Sarkozy told newsmen when asked about the US unilateral air strikes and ground offensive in tribal lands in Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.

Condemning abominable and cowardly attack on Marriott Hotel in Islamabad over a week ago, he said Islamabad must commit itself to root out terrorism and said the EU would extend all possible assistance to it for the purpose.

"We stand by Pakistan. We are willing to help Pakistan and Afghanistan. If Pakistan effectively deals with terrorism, there is no question of pursuing foreign strikes," Sarkozy said, adding that people of Pakistan have a right to enjoy peace and security.