France has not given up on giving entry to India in NSG

New Delhi[India]Jan.18 (ANI): France on Wednesday said that it continues to remain optimistic about India acquiring membership of the 48 member Nuclear suppliers Group (NSG) France's National Security Advisor, Jacques Audibert said he remains hopeful about New Delhi gaining entry into the grouping of key global nuclear suppliers. Audibert was delivering an address at the ongoing Raisina Dialogue, day after China went on record saying that NSG membership cannot be offered by the Obama administration to india as a "farwell gift" Audibert sounded optimistic and said, that though he won't urge any country in particular but they'll make sure that demand is re-introduced, that they will do their best to bring any people necessary on board and make sure next time it is more successful. "We not only voted for it, we postponed it for India, so we've not given up. With regard to ISIS and Pakistan, he said, "France has taken huge measures nationally, on one hand where we are making sure to prevent foreign fighters i.e people coming from France getting trained in the zone and coming back. On the other hand, we are attacking within coalition both on Iraq and on Syria-the so called ISIS. He further stated "For security measures, nationally we make sure we are working in more co-operation with India by exchanging data. Cooperation between democracy against terrorists is always more efficient. Any information can be exchanged to solve an attack. We are in a situation under heavy threat and we just want to improve our measures to tackle them." On the proposed Scorpean deal, between France and India, he said, "We are having again at old level of state, an in depth co-operation to make sure, and it is the case that nothing has been compromised by the current and the future program with India would not be affected by what happened." In August last year 'The Australian' newspaper had reported that over 22,000 pages detailing the combat and performance capabilities of six Scorpene-class submarines produced by India in partnership with French company DCNS have been leaked. The information was of highly classified and sensitive nature . India had signed a U.S.D 3.5 billion deal in 2005 to build six Scorpene-class submarines, designed by the French company, at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai. Such a leak said to have had drawn a major impact on India's maritime position. Audibert, called on Prime Minister Modi yesterday and handed over a letter from the French President Mr. Hollande to the Prime Minister, in which Francois Hollande conveyed his commitment to further strengthen France's Strategic Partnership with India and extended an invitation to the Prime Minister to visit France. The Prime Minister warmly welcomed closer cooperation between India and France owing to the crisis of terrorism that is on the rise, and also strengthening bilateral engagement in the areas of economic cooperation, tourism and people-to-people contacts. (ANI)