PARIS: French President Nicolas Sarkozy told President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday that he wants Pakistan to have a wide-ranging deal to to buy nuclear equipment like the one obtained by its rival India, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Friday.
"France has agreed to transfer civilian nuclear technology to Pakistan ... they have agreed that Pakistan should be treated like India," Qureshi told reporters after a meeting between Zardari and Sarkozy.
| Even though Pakistain is nothing like India ... |
"President Sarkozy said ... 'what can be done for India can be done for Pakistan as well'," Qureshi said after the meeting in Paris.
He said that negotiations over the transfer of technology would be held in July, and a new framework agreement and an MOU were likely to be signed during Sarkozy's visit to Pakistan in September.
| By September the Taliban might be in charge ... |
| What could possibly go wrong if mental defectives with a strong faith in the efficacy of djinns take over running sophisticated, nuclear-powered equipment? |
An official in Sarkozy's office said France wanted Pakistan to improve its nuclear security, but did not comment on the idea of an India-style deal. "The president confirmed that we are prepared ... to cooperate with Pakistan in the area of nuclear safety," he said.
Qureshi dismissed concerns over the safety of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal and its proliferation history.
At the meeting, France pledged to provide Pakistan 12 million euros as aid for internally displaced people.
"And the money kept rolling out in all directions
To the poor to the weak to the destitute of all complexions
Now cynics claim a little of the cash has gone astray
But that's not the point my friends
When the money keeps rolling out you don't keep books
You can tell you've done well by the happy grateful looks
Accountants only slow things down, figures get in the way
Never been a lady loved as much as Eva Peron!" |
Sarkozy's office issued a statement reaffirming France's support for Pakistan while urging Zardari to fight all terrorist groups threatening his own country and its neighbours from Pakistani territory. |