NEW DELHI: Foreign minister Bernard Kouchner admitted at a news conference on Friday that the French government was unhappy over India’s decision to scrap the lucrative $600m Eurocopter deal and said he raised the issue at a meeting with foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Kouchner has been told that the deal was scrapped because of a technical hitch and biddings would be called afresh later. “Our offer is the best and fits your requirements…I am positive we will win the new bid,” the minister said. “Yes, we can complain, but it is useless to complain,” Kouchner said, adding, “So we have to participate in the new bidding process.”
Eurocopter is a France-based defence unit of European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS), a consortium of several European countries. “This is not the end of the deal,” Kouchner said firmly to repeated questions on the helicopter pact.
When President Nicholas Sarkozy visited China a few months ago, he came back with business worth over $20b. Asked what the President hopes to get when he comes to India as the chief guest during India’s Republic Day celebrations, the foreign minister said: “Friendship is not a question of money. We are not just selling helicopters but the French touch.”
Saying his talks with Indian leaders were comprehensive and fruitful, he said he was impressed by the level of development in India. During his meeting with Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday, the two ministers discussed both international and regional issues. Kouchner said, “India and France share a common perception on several important issues…both are for democracy… we are friends of the US but not ready to follow each diktat from Washington. France has an independent foreign policy,” he explained.
The minister reminded New Delhi that France has always been supportive of India’s nuclear ambitions. In fact after the 1998 nuclear tests, France was the only western power which did not push for sanctions.
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