New Delhi, Feb. 5:France has indicated it may want to use elements of the nuclear liability "breakthrough" India and the US have claimed, in setting up its own reactors in this country, signalling potential for competitive bargaining over the terms New Delhi offers to different nations.
India last year offered France and Russia - the two nations other than the US that have committed to selling nuclear reactors - an insurance pool created by Indian public sector firms to fund any compensation following an accident from their reactors.
The US had so far appeared unconvinced by the insurance pool plan. Its apparent turnaround during President Barack Obama's India visit last week has sparked speculation in the capital's diplomatic enclave that New Delhi may have offered Washington a particularly sweet deal.
"This project is very significant for both nations," a senior French official said here yesterday, referring to the plans by French public sector firm Areva to set up six reactors, each of 1650MW, at Maharashtra's Jaitapur. "We don't know the details of the agreement between India and the US yet, but if it can assist in our project, we will definitely look at it."
Two of France's top leaders, foreign minister Laurent Fabius and minister of energy Segolene Royal, today discussed the India-US agreement on nuclear liability when they met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and foreign minister Sushma Swaraj here.
"As far as France is concerned,it is normal for us to keep them informed about how we are proceeding (on the nuclear liability dispute with the US)," foreign ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said today.
Royal will tomorrow hold talks with railway minister Suresh Prabhu and environment minister Prakash Javadekar. Fabius and Royal also addressed a Delhi Sustainable Development Dialogue today. Paris is hosting the next round of talks on climate change at the end of the year where negotiators are hoping to arrive at some convergence on a strategy to tackle global warming.
The meeting between Fabius and Sushma was largely aimed at preparing an agenda for a visit by Modi to Paris this year, possibly as early as April when the Prime Minister is scheduled to travel to Germany for the Hannover trade fair.
Fabius and Royal also reaffirmed France's commitment to helping India battle climate change. France had last year committed $1.3 billion (around Rs 8,060 crore) as assistance to India, and will during the visit of its leaders - the numbers two and three in the French government - top that aid up by another $1.3 billion.
But a key element of supporting India against global warming will be aiding New Delhi in expanding its civil nuclear programme, Indian officials have long said. That view was today echoed by the French officials.
France is pandering to Modi's pet initiative of "Make in India" by promising to build "large parts of the Areva reactors" in India. And unlike the US, France had also never sought any change in the nuclear liability law despite its concerns that the law was draconian and out of line with global standards, the senior French official said.
"There is no competition between America and France. But we have long stated that we will work within the framework of Indian law. We still maintain that," the official said.
The Indian foreign office also pointed to France's acceptance of India's liability law."Every country has a different approach to this matter," Akbaruddin said, citing the example of uranium India already sources from France. "With France, the template of our engagement is already set."
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