By PTI
New Delhi : As the government continues to face opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal on the domestic front, France has hailed the agreement as being a result of “very careful, cautious and intelligent” negotiations and vowed to support it at IAEA and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Refusing to be drawn into the controversy here over the issue, France believes Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has “very good set of arguments” to push the agreement.
French Ambassador Dominique Girard said it was for the Indian politicians to decide on whether to go ahead with seeking civil nuclear cooperation with the international community and “that is no business of ours”.
“I think Manmohan Singh’s government and the Prime Minister himself have a very good set of arguments that they have led the negotiations with the Americans in a very careful, cautious and intelligent way,” he told PTI here.
He was responding when asked about the controversy over the Indo-US deal here, with the government’s Left allies and opposition NDA rejecting the agreement and demanding a freeze on it.
“Our view is that India has the right and the legitimacy in getting access to civilian nuclear technology given its background, given it behaviour and its attitude,” said the envoy, who left for home today on completion of his term here.
Girard, whose country is keen to have civil nuclear cooperation with India, said France welcomes the Indo-US deal because “it is very much the product of the kind of thinking we had introduced” between India and its partners.