French Prez says will take up with India pact on 36 Rafale fighter jets
Nitin Jain,,Tribune News Service,,Chandigarh, January 24
India and France committed themselves to closer ties in business and in combating terrorism, hours after French President Francois Hollande began his three-day visit to India on Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra welcomed him here.The two leaders shared concern over the menace of terrorism with Modi pitching for a collective fight. They pledged to work together in fields of mutual interest.Hollande will be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January 26. He said he would discuss with India the inter-governmental agreement on 36 Rafale fighter planes.Modi,who specially flew to the city to receive the dignitary, said: “The trust and friendship with France is an asset for us.” Hollande and Modi interacted with the Indo-French CEOs Forum and addressed the India France Business Summit at Hotel Taj. Prior to that, they visited the Rock Garden, Capitol Complex and Government Museum and Art Gallery.Speaking at the Business Summit, Modi said he had had several opportunities to interact with Hollande, one of these being the recent COP21 Summit. “President Hollande is correct in saying that terrorism is a challenge, just like global warming.” Observing that within days of the Paris terror attacks, France had hosted several world leaders, he said the French people and the French media deserved appreciation for the same. Calling defence a “very important matter,” Modi said it was not about the battlefield alone, “cyber security is vital too.” Pointing out that India’s skilled manpower could be a major source of strength, the Prime Minister said: “Our skilled manpower can bring down costs and improve quality. In a short span of time, India’s ‘Ease of Doing Business’ rankings have improved substantially.” Stressing the world had accepted India as a good investment destination, he said France’s greatest strength was innovation. On smart cities project, he said, “Urbanisation is gaining pace and that is why we are working on this project. We want to work closely with France. We want to work together for the development of humankind.” Earlier, speaking to the media at the airport, Hollande said: “We are going to take another step on the road which we hope will lead us to India’s acquisition of the 36 Rafale jets.”Stating that France had shown that it had the world’s best aircraft, Hollande said the commercial contract would come only after the inter-governmental accord, which would be discussed during this visit.
Rafale deal could take more time: Hollande
HANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: The deal for the purchase of 36 Frenchbuilt Rafale warplanes by India is unlikely to be sealed during Francois Hollande’s visit, with the French President saying “agreeing on technicalities” would take time.
The invitation for Hollande to be chief guest at the Republic Day parade had raised expectations that the long-delayed ` 60,000-crore agreement for the fighter planes would finally be reached. The French leader who arrived in Chandigarh on Sunday for a three-day India visit, however, said the deal was on the right track but further discussions were needed on the inter-governmental agreement.
“We are going to take another step on the road which we hope will lead us to India’s acquisition of the 36 Rafale jets,” Hollande told media. “The commercial contract can only come after the intergovernmental accord… which will be discussed during my visit,” Hollande said.
While Hollande said he was “optimistic” about the accord being agreed on Monday, a senior French official acknowledged negotiations were still snagged on the price.
Hollande told the news agency PTI that the deal was “on the right track” but “agreeing on the technicalities of this arrangement obviously takes time”.
During a visit to Paris in April, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would directly buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from the French government but negotiations have dragged on due to disagreements over price. Another sticking point has been the offset clause that requires arms makers to invest a percentage of the value of any major deal in India.
The two leaders stepped into the long-drawn negotiations after a much-larger agreement first signed with France’s Dassault Aviation in 2012 broke down.
India desperately needs to upgrade its aging Soviet-era fleet plagued by engine troubles and poor availability. The Indian Air Force requires at least 44 fighter squadrons — with 18 planes each — to counter the combined threat from Pakistan and China.