The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, New Delhi

India and France are "on the verge" of an agreement to engage in civil nuclear energy cooperation, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in an e-mail interview with the Hindustan Times. "We are on the verge of finding an agreement which will enable the development of civilian nuclear cooperation with India," Sarkozy was quoted as saying. "The is one of the stakes of my visit in India: to bring to fruition this evolution that I deem essential for India's development and the protection of the global environment." Sarkozy added that the agreement was subject to India working out a "special regime" with the 45-country Nuclear Suppliers Group, which governs global nuclear trade, as well as safeguards with the UN's atomic energy watchdog. India, which has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty, needs to clear hurdles with the two bodies as part of a landmark nuclear cooperation deal with the United States first announced in 2005. Such an agreement, however, is expected to take months to negotiate.