France's foreign minister said his country favors civil nuclear cooperation with India, which is undertaking safeguards talks with the U.N. nuclear agency, UPI reported. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi Friday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said France was willing to await the outcome of the talks with the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency before forging any nuclear deal with India, the Press Trust of India reported. He said France produces 90 percent of its electric power through atomic energy and that India needs to be brought into the nuclear mainstream, PTI reported. "We are in favor of initialing a sort of strategic agreement but we have to wait for the (International Atomic Energy) Agency," he was quoted as saying. Kouchner talked with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other Indian officials. Kouchner is in India ahead of French President Nicholas Sarkozy's visit set for next month.
