Reiterating his support for India's candidature for a permanent Security Council seat, the visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday said that India as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council was important for the "equilibrium of the world".
"It is not just an important matter for India but for the equilibrium of the world," Sarkozy said in his opening remarks at a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today.
"After its two-year term, are we going to ask India to simply to stand down," he asked, referring to India becoming a non-permanent member of the Security Council from Jan 1, 2011.
He reiterated that it was unfair that a country of one billion should be kept out of the UNSC high table.
Earlier in the day, India and France signed a multibillion agreement to build two nuclear power plants in India
Areva SA, one of France's main nuclear power companies, will build two European pressurized reactors of 1,650 megawatts each at Jaitapur in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
The agreement, valued at about $9.3 billion, was signed in the presence of Sarkozy and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The deal marked the first two of 20 nuclear reactors India wants to build to meet its soaring energy demand.
Sarkozy and Singh later met to discuss regional security, trade and investment.
Sarkozy, who arrived on Saturday, is accompanied by his defense, foreign and finance ministers and nearly 60 business leaders. No defense agreements are expected during the visit, but Sarkozy is likely to push for French companies to win contracts to supply military hardware.
French companies are negotiating to upgrade 51 Mirage-2000 jet fighters in the Indian air force. India is also in the market to buy 126 fighter jets, a deal worth $11 billion, and about 200 helicopters worth another $4 billion.
By Vineeta Menon (Delhi Bureau/Jasodhara Global Media)
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