M A I N   N E W S

India, France begin defence talks

NEW DELHI, May 18 (PTI) — India and France today opened a strategic dialogue on bilateral military cooperation, security situation in Asia and Europe and on armaments and nuclear issue.

The first-ever high-level dialogue was initiated when visiting French Defence Minister Alain Richard held a long meeting with his Indian counterpart Mr George Fernandes here.

The two sides will start official delegation-level talks tomorrow. Mr Richard is accompanied by a nine-member team, including his Diplomatic Adviser Aubibert, Military Adviser Gen Thorette and Bernard Ouvrieu, who represents the French Defence Ministry on the Indo-French Joint Committee on Defence.

A Defence Ministry spokesman did not give details of the meeting but sources said Mr Richard’s visit would lead to signing of the deal for sale of 10 additional Mirage 2000-H multirole aircraft to India to bring up the Mirage squadron of IAF to full strength.

The French Minister, who landed at Agra this morning in a special French air force plane, visited the Taj Mahal before beginning his hectic two-day schedule. Mr Richard’s visit follows high-level defence exchanges between the two countries. Army Chief Gen V.P. Malik had visited Paris earlier this year and it was followed by a visit to New Delhi last month by the French Chief of Defence Staff.

The French Minister’s visit here assumes significance in the wake of recent statements by Mr Fernandes that India would soon give a go-ahead for a number of defence acquisitions like AJTs’ Weapon Locating Radars, (WLRs), Main Battle Tank and High Altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).

The Franco-German Cobra weapon locating radar is bidding for the Indian contract along with WLR systems from Ukraine. A high-level Indian Defence team recently witnessed Cobra trials in Germany.

However, it appears that the French Alpha jet are not in contention for the multi-million dollar AJT deal as the jet’s manufacturers Daussalt did not respond to latest tenders floated by IAF thus making it look that India had reached a "single vendor stage" on the deal with only British Aerospace’s Hawk-100 left in the race.