PARIS: A French government spokesman said Sept.29, that Paris cannot provide any rocket technology to India unless New Delhi signs the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
There is, however, expectations here that there might be some change in this stand after prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao meets French president Francois Mitter and.
The spokesman told reporters at the end of two rounds of Rao’s talks with French Prime Minister Pierre Beregovoy that French Stand on non-proliferation treaty was in concert with the position of the United States and the E C, which want India to sign the treaty.
India has refused to do so declaring the treaty to be discriminatory in nature.
The French spokesman said that any renewal of the Indo-French contract for delivery of enriched uranium for the Tarapore atomic plant, expiring in 1993, would be subject to India’s agreement to full scope inspection under the international safeguards.
This has been made clear to India but New Delhi has not yet responded to the French conditionalities. “But we are not in a hurry. There is still some time to go,” he said.
During the official talks, the French Premier suggested that India should sign the NPT and join the rest of the club.
But India’s position was reiterated by Narasimha Rao, who said the treaty was discriminatory in nature and that the question of nuclear non-proliferation should be dealt with at the global level.
France has supported the U.S. call for a regional conference on nuclear non-proliferation in South Asia.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 9, 1992
