French Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont said his country is “pleading” with the IAEA and NSG to give exemption to India in the field so that it can have cooperation with the international community.

“We believe strongly that an agreement between India and the IAEA leading to a special case presented to the NSG, which will allow India to cooperate in the civilian nuclear area with foreign countries, is a good thing for India and a good thing for the world,” Bonnafant said.

He said France “very strongly” favours civil nuclear cooperation with India and is waiting for New Delhi to sign the Safeguards Agreement with IAEA and exemption from NSG.

“We are ready to sign the agreement with India whenever there is an agreement with IAEA, approved by the (IAEA) Board of Governors and exemption from NSG,” the Ambassador said.

Exemption

France is “pleading” for exemption to India in IAEA and among the NSG members, Bonnafont said.
A bilateral civil nuclear agreement between France and India, on the lines of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, is almost ready for signature by the two sides.

When referred to the political difficulties faced by the Manmohan Singh dispensation on the nuclear issue because of the Left opposition, Bonnafant refused to comment, saying it was for the government here to take a decision.

“There is a moment when the decision is in the hand of the Government of India and we have nothing to say except that it will be possible for India to go ahead and we support it,” the French envoy said.
France, which meets 80 per cent of its energy needs through nuclear power, has always maintained that India should be brought into the international nuclear mainstream.