Ahead of their talks on key issues, including civil nuclear cooperation and terrorism, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today hosted a private dinner for French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni at his residence tonight.
Besides the prime minister and his wife Gursharan Kaur, the limited guest list included UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar and some of the senior Cabinet ministers.
Earlier, Sarkozy flew in from a overnight stay at Agra where he visited the Taj Mahal and the Fatehpur Sikri, which is about 30 km away from the city.
Presently on a four-day trip to the country, Sarkozy arrived at Bangalore yesterday and visited ISRO.
Immediately after his arrival, Sarkozy made remarks backing India's bid for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council as well as membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
During the official talks tomorrow, Sarkozy is expected to raise the issues relating to the civil nuclear liability legislation with the French side demanding legal security for the nuclear suppliers.
Apart from the civil nuclear cooperation, the two leaders are likely to discuss a host of issues, including terrorism. Sarkozy has come to India hoping to take back a mega nuclear deal and reinvigorate ties in key areas like space technology.
Sarkozy's support to India for the NSG entry comes nearly a month after US President Barack Obama supported New Delhi's full membership in multilateral groupings like the NSG, the Missile Technology Control Regime (MCTR), the Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement.
