PARIS: France has said it cannot provide the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) “any rocket technology” unless India becomes a party to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

“Signing MTCR is a necessary condition if India wants cooperation with us in launched technology, especially relating to cryogenic engines,” said Generad Dondeau, head of International Affairs in the French Department of Space (CNES).

France, which had been cooperating with India in space since the late 1960s, appears to have taken this stand under pressure from the United States. The latters had slapped an embargo on ISRC two months ago and had asked their MTCR countries to follow suit in wake of the Indo-Russian deal on cryogenic agencies,

Blondeau warmed that France would not be the only country to place restraints on ISRO if India failed to sign the MTCR. “No country that is party to MTCR will have any cooperation with India in space.” Created in 1987 by seven space powers, the MTCR is an informal arrangement the guide lines of which seek to control transfer or acquisition of technologies that may lead to proliferation of missile-carrying warheads.

CNES is responsible for formulating all policy matters in the sphere of space, but Blondeau said that as rocket technology was concerned, the policy was laid down by the foreign ministry.

“This was a political decision and CNES has to follow the rules,” he said,

According to Blondeau, Indo French cooperation in space technology has reached a new low, particularly after ISRO terminated its contract in 1989 to buy images from the French remote-sensing satellite ‘Spot.’

The official, however, made it clear that the policy of non-cooperation was directed against ISRO’s launch vehicle program and no other areas.

“We could have an agreement on satellites,” he said, and added ISRO was free to negotiate deals in satellite manufacture.

Blondeau ruled out the possibility of ISRO selling space components to France because the domestic program was small and the French companies were committed to buy from companies in Europe,

Meanwhile, a spokesman of the Society European de Propulsion (SEP), which makes rocket engines, denied that his company ever offered sale of cryogenic engines as claimed by ISRO,

SEP marketing manager Jean Phillippe Graut said his company only had negotiations with ISRO and when the talks reached a certain stage “we went to our government for clearance which it refused So we did not make any offer to ISRO.” ISRO Chief Prof U.R.Rao had said that France had offered the engines for a price of Rs 8,000 million but the offer was turned down as the price was too high in comparison with that of Russian space agency Glavkosmos. Girault said SEP would be willing to renew calls with ISRO to sell the cryogenic engines if “India signs the MTCR.”

He said SEP’s part of the SNECMA group that is owned by the state government and is therefore not in a position to enter into any contract with India without government clearance.

Article extracted from this publication >> July 31, 1992