India and France in nuclear deal

India and France have signed a major co-operation pact which paves the way for the sale of French nuclear reactors to Delhi, officials say.

The nuclear accord was agreed in Paris between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Nicolas Sarkozy. The deal "will form the basis for enlarged bilateral co-operation in the fields of energy and research", the French presidency said in a statement. France is a leading world exporter of civilian nuclear technology.

The two leaders made no public comment after signing the deal. But a French presidential aide said that that "today we are at the intergovernmental stage, and after that the industrialists will begin their co-operation". Tuesday's signing comes after India and France agreed a Framework Agreement for Civil Nuclear Co-operation in January.

Reports say the deal includes providing India with France's latest model of the European Pressurised Reactor as well as other civilian nuclear material. Correspondents say that the deal is good news for India - which is desperately short of energy to fuel its booming economy - and places it firmly as a world nuclear power.

The deal in effect ends a ban which prevented countries from engaging in civilian nuclear trade with Delhi. The ban was imposed in 1974 when India used its civilian programme to produce and successfully test an atomic bomb. France is the world's second largest producer of nuclear energy after the United States.

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