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India, France agree to boost military ties

AFP, New Delhi
India and France agreed yesterday to strengthen military cooperation and move beyond a "buyer-seller relationship," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.
"I think it is very important that India and France should cooperate, share information and intelligence gathering for defence of the values which are dear to both our countries," the prime minister said in a joint news conference with visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
"We have agreed to go beyond a buyer-seller relationship. We will increasingly focus on joint research and development projects, transfer of technology and greater military exchanges," he added.
The two sides had earlier signed an agreement on protecting classified defence information.
"A global fight against terrorism
is essential to protect open, democratic and multi cultural societies like our two countries,” Singh said, adding the two sides "reaffirmed our strong mutual desire to further strengthen our strategic partner-
"This partnership is longstanding and rests on shared values and similar approaches to regional and global issues." Singh said.
Sarkozy also said negotiations had been finalised on a planned bilateral accord on nuclear power plants, a key area of French expertise and seen as crucial to India's effort to fuel an economy currently expandingat a rate of nine percent.
Sarkozy jetted into New Delhi without girlfriend Carla Bruni, although an Indian foreign ministry source said the ex-supermodel and pop singer may still join him on Saturday for a private visit to the Taj Mahal. The visit has seen defence ties high on the agenda, with France lobbying hard in a country ranked as the biggest weapons buyer among emerging nations and expected to spend an estimated 30 billion dollars on arms over the next five years.
French-Indian defence ties took a blow last month when New Delhi cancelled a Eurocopter bid for a 600-million-dollar (410-milIion-euro) helicopter contract due to alleged irregularities. The alleged payment of bribes in a submarine deal is also beingprobed.
France was the second largest arms supplier to India after Russia but has now been overtaken by IsraeL The United States is also pushing for a place in the Indian market
However, French firms are expected to be invited to upgrade India's fleet of Mirage fighters in a contract worth up to 1.5 billion euros -- and they' are set to compete in a tender for 126 warplanes.
Sarkozy also announced progress on a nuclear cooperation agreement that has been in the works for years to allow France to supply equipment and fuel to India once it has cleared hurdles with the UN's nuclear watchdog.
A joint statement said "this agreement will form the basis of wide-ranging bilateral cooperation from
basic and applied research to full civil nuclear cooperation including reactors, fuel supply and management"
India is currently banned from buying fuel for atomic reactors and related equipment because of nuclear weapons tests in 1974 and 1988.
The French deal hinges on the outcome of negotiations between India and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and with the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, which controls the global nuclear trade.
"The needs of India in energy are huge... If we do not let India accede to civilian nuclear energy it will haw to go to more polluting means," Sarkozy said, adding he expected to see an international consensus emerge within "weeks".
Singh said the process would "take time" -- alluding to domestic pressure from the government's communist allies who say such a pact with the IAEA, which would involve some international inspections, compromises India's strategic programme.
Sarkozy has lined up a visit to India's famed 17th century monument to love on Saturday, after attending India's annual Republic Day parade.