N-power: French envoy meets Basu

KOLKATA: With the Left still stubborn about its stand against the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, France has started lobbying hard with the defiant Left, trying to use the deadlock to its advantage.

Days after external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee called on CPM patriarch Jyoti Basu, Jerome Bonnafont, French ambassador to India, followed suit. He paid a visit to Basu's Salt Lake residence on Thursday with the proposal for a strategic partnership between India and France on several areas, including civil nuclear energy.

Though Bonnafont called it a "courtesy call", his visit on Thursday left political circles abuzz with speculation that the French diplomat had come to Kolkata to sound Basu out on the deal that will have no strings attached to it like the US Hyde Act that the Left have been swearing at.

In fact, French companies had evinced interest in setting up a nuclear power plant near the Sagar island when Basu was the chief minister. But the proposal had to be shelved due to stiff opposition from the CPM state secretariat.

"France is looking for a strategic partnership with India in key areas, including civil nuclear energy," Bonnafont said earlier in the day, on the sidelines of an Indian Chambers of Commerce gathering in the city. "The two countries will have a level playing ground with a little extra for India," he added.

Bonnafont also promised to lobby for India during negotiations at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meeting after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) talks are over.

The French diplomat also named companies such as Electicite de France and Areva SA, which have a worldwide presence in the nuclear power sector and are keen on setting up plants in India. He also assured of technology transfer to India.

The CPM patriarch though reserved his comment on the proposal. Even party mandarins at Alimuddin Street remained tight-lipped on the nuclear deal, whether with the US or France.

"It goes without saying that the Hyde Act won't have any implication on a deal with France. Nevertheless, the kind of waiver India gets from the NSG will largely depend on the role of the US.

"Anyway, this issue is not relevant now because it is under discussion at the IAEA. We can respond only after the government reports the outcome of the IAEA talks to the Left-UPA coordination committee set up on the proposed Indo-US nuclear deal," said CPM central committee member Nilotpal Basu.