Article Posted on : - Sep 18, 2008

NEW DELHI: France, on Wednesday, indicated that it could go ahead with a bilateral nuclear agreement with India even if the US Congress did not ratify the Indo-US nuclear deal by the yearend.

In an interview to a television channel, French Minister of External Trade Anne Marie Idrac said, “The deal details are being discussed at the moment and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will decide on the issue in due time.”

"We are going to find the best date and best way, so that it goes in a well prepared manner," she said.

Asked if France would go ahead with the deal even if the US Congress did not ratify it by the yearend, she said, “We are not the kind of people changing minds and we are well engaged with this important sync with India.”

To a question as to whether France will be the first country to supply nuclear fuel to India, the minister said, “maybe”.

(PTI)