After US and Russia, France reassures India on clean NSG waiver

New Delhi

1 July 2011

After the United States and Russia, France has iterated its commitment to full civil

nuclear cooperation with India.

The French government has said that the Nuclear Suppliers Group's (NSG's) recent

decision, to bar transfer of sensitive enrichment and reprocessing technologies to non-

NPT signatories, does not undermine the waiver granted to India in September 2008.

"The decision taken by the NSG is not a measure targeting any particular State. This

decision is the fruit of prolonged discussions initiated in 2004. Coming after the decision

of exemption from the full-scope safeguards clause, adopted in favour of India in

September 2008, it does not undermine the principles of this exemption," Jerome

Bonnafont, the French ambassador to India, said.

In a statement, the envoy also said, "France confirms that this NSG decision in no way

undermines the parameters of our bilateral cooperation, and is committed to the full

implementation of our cooperation agreement on the development of peaceful uses of

nuclear energy signed on September 30, 2008."

Bonnafont emphasised that France was strongly committed to the development of an innovative, broad-based and dynamic civilian nuclear cooperation with India.

The NSG held its plenary at Noordwijk in the Netherlands in June.

Further, Bonnafont said President Nicolas Sarkozy of France announced his support for India's membership of four multilateral export control regimes during his visit to India in December 2010, and
France iterated its "full and complete support" to India's membership of the NSG in
its meeting which concluded on June 24.

In September 2008, France became the first country to sign a bilateral civilian nuclear

accord with India after the NSG granted a landmark waiver to New Delhi, reopening

global civilian nuclear commerce after a gap of 34 years. The French envoy's assurance

on his country's commitment to full civilian nuclear cooperation came a day after

outgoing US ambassador Timothy Roemer stressed that Washington was firmly

committed to NSG's clean waiver to India.