India and France are likely to sign defining pacts on civil nuclear energy and defense cooperation when French President Jacques Chirac begins visit New Delhi on Feb. 19, Indo-Asian News Service reported Sunday.

The news agency quoted French envoy Dominique Girard as saying that Chirac will discuss the nuclear deal and other strategic issues with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The would-be India-France nuclear energy agreement will ask nuclear suppliers to make an exception in the case of India to facilitate nuclear business but only after India separates its civilian and military nuclear facilities, the press reported.

It might be very similar to the India-US civil nuclear energy cooperation pact but details might differ, it quoted an anonymous Indian source as saying.

The framework defense cooperation agreement is likely to cover the joint exercises between the armed forces, the joint production of armaments and other aspects of defense ties between the two countries in a broad framework.

The delegation accompanying Chirac on his three-day India visit will consist of five senior ministers and 70 top businessmen and officials including officials of France's Nuclear Energy Commission and the CEO of Avera, one of the biggest manufacturers of pressurized nuclear reactors.
 
Besides civil nuclear and defense pacts, the two sides plan to push forward economic relationship by encouraging the two-way investment and entering into more joint ventures in power, infrastructure, biotechnology and knowledge-driven industries like IT.

France has made foreign direct investment worth US$760 million in India.

(Xinhua News Agency February 6, 2006)