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.
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