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NEW DELHI: Is nuclear the way to India’s heart? For both France and India, it’s fast becoming a natural tie, if you heard French president Nicolas Sarkozy in Bangalore on Saturday. With India getting the all-clear for global nuclear commerce, Sarkozy wants to leverage France’s civilian nuclear expertise to marry economic and strategic relations with India. "Nuclear energy will now be the focus of our cooperation. We all know how critical it is for India to ensure its energy security," Sarkozy said in Bangalore.

France became the second country after the US to support India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). In Vienna, the US has already approached the NSG committees to push India’s membership. Although this will be formally taken up during the NSG plenary in 2011, getting more hands for India will make the process easier. India itself should be doing advocacy for itself in the NSG outreach group in preparation for the plenary. But the Indian government has twice postponed meetings with NSG officials, which means this will now be addressed in 2011.

For this new engagement to get teeth, France and India will need to come to some sort of understanding on India’s liability law which, despite a lot of polite talk from the French side, is emerging to be an obstacle.

In an interview recently, the chief of Areva, Anne Lauvergeon, said France would only decide how much of a problem the law would be after the implementation rules are drafted. The government is expected to put out the rules by the end of the year — 90 days after the bill became law. Given Sarkozy’s emphasis, this issue is bound to dominate discussions with the PM on Monday, but equally, Manmohan Singh’s current difficulties might make any forward looking decision difficult.

At Isro, Bangalore, on Saturday, Sarkozy spent 25 minutes to set out the new terms of engagement — science, space, nuclear, technology. "France, the US, Russia and the UK have already signed agreements with India. Others will join them soon," Sarkozy said.

"That’s why it makes sense for India to now participate fully in the work of the multilateral bodies responsible for drafting and ensuring compliance with the non-proliferation regime, starting with the Nuclear Suppliers Group. France supports India’s candidacy to join these groups," he added. It will be India’s membership to groups like the Wassenaar and Australia Group that will make it easier for this new economic relationship to bear fruit because it will enable trade in dual-use technologies that India keenly desires.