n the 70s France and Pakistan had a signed agreement for a Nuclear Reprocessing plant. Despite the fact that funding had been arranged, France reneged on the sale under pressure from America. In the 90s Benazir Bhutto resurrected the deal and Paris promised to set up a Reprocessing plant for Pakistan. France again did not conform to its promises and did not supply the plant.
Mr Sarkozy had “confirmed France was ready, within the framework of its international agreements, to co-operate with Pakistan in the field of nuclear safety.” “This is so the Pakistani programme can develop in the best conditions of safety and security,”the French spokesman. AFP
“France has agreed to transfer civilian nuclear technology to Pakistan, That is a significant development, and we have agreed that Pakistan should be treated like India. President Sarkozy said, and I quote him, ‘What can be done for India, can be done for Pakistan as well.’,” “Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters
Apparently France and Pakistan has reached a verbal breakthrough on Nuclear Technology and The French president at present is not ready to publicly proclaim that France will indeed build reactors for Pakistan. France will come be under tremendous pressure on this issue and may be planning to work through it in conjunction with the IAEA and other members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
PARIS, May 15 (Xinhua) — France has agreed to offer Pakistan its civilian nuclear technology, French media quoted Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi as saying on Friday.
“France has agreed to transfer civilian nuclear technology to Pakistan,” Qureshi said after a meeting between Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and French President Nicolas Sarkozy inParis.
“What can be done for India can be done for Pakistan as well,” the minister quoted Sarkozy as saying.
According to Qureshi, negotiations regarding the transfer of nuclear technology will be held in July and deals on such cooperation are likely to be signed during Sarkozy’s visit to Pakistan in September.
Noting France is a very important partner to Pakistan, Qureshi expressed hopes for advancing cooperation with the country in various sectors.
Zardari said France had pledged 12 million euros (16 million U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid to help internally displaced people in Pakistan. He said Sarkozy had been very generous during their meeting at the Elysee Palace.
This has been Zardari’s first official trip to France since he became president in 2008. France, Pakistan agree on civilian nuclear co-op
France is in fact not in a position to begin unilaterally transferring nuclear technology to Pakistan, says correspondent Hugh Schofield in Paris.
That is because Pakistan is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and is therefore the object of a boycott from other nuclear powers.
India was in a similar situation, but last year negotiated its way back into the nuclear fold.
Pakistan would like to follow suit, Hugh Schofield adds, but concerns over the stability of the government there means that any suggestion of countries like France transferring new nuclear technology are bound to be highly controversial. BBC
The BBC report seems to reflect the actual position. The Nuclear Supplier’s Group has to approve the sale of Civilian Nuclear Technology to Pakistan. Fracemay provide a fig leaf to the US refusal and could possibly be playing good cop versus the US bad cop on Nukes.
Rupee News does not question the integrity of Mr. Zardari’s government on this issues, but does question its refusal to purchase Uranium from Kazakhstan. Why did Ghaddari refuse to buy Uranium from Kazakhstan?
0 comments