December 3, 2010 9:11 PM

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Defence, nuclear power issues to dominate Sarkozy's India visit

Defence, nuclear power and sustainable development will dominate the agenda of talks between the Indian leaders and the French President Nicolas Sarkozy who reaches Bangalore tomorrow. In his four-day visit to India, Sarkozy is accompanied by seven of his key ministers and a business delegation. His wife, Carla Bruni, is also accompanying him. During his stay in Bangalore Mr Sarkozy will visit headquarters of the Indian Space Research Organisation. He will visit the Taj Mahal in Agra with his wife and will reach Delhi on Sunday evening when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hosts a dinner for the visiting first couple at his residence.The French President will hold delegation level talks with Dr. Manmohan Singh at Hyderabad House on Monday. Several important pacts are likely to be signed after the talks in the areas of space, civil nuclear cooperation, defence, agriculture, trade and investment. Our correspondent reports that the two countries are working to wrap up a deal on the supply of nuclear reactors to India. Mr. Sarkozy will call on the President Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan after which he will attend a reception by the French community of Delhi. Sarkozy will leave for Mumbai on Tuesday where he will first visit the Mumbai Police Memorial in memory of the victims of the 2008 terror attacks. He will also address a ceremony being organised at the Oberoi Hotels in Mumbai in the presence of the families of the French victims of the attack and local personalities from Mumbai. On this occasion, Sarkozy will also confer French honours on Devendra Bharma, executive vice-president of the Oberoi, and Karambir Kang, general manager of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel. Sarkozy will head to the Taj Mahal hotel to deliver the valedictory address at the Indo-French Business Meet which is expected to be attended by over 300 business leaders from both the sides. Sarkozy will leave for Paris the same afternoon. The trade partnership between the two countries stands at 5.36 billion Euros and the target for 2012 is twelve billion Euros.

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