February 3, 2003	Monday	Zilhaj 1,1423

PARIS, Feb 2: French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin is to arrive on February 5 in New Delhi for a three-day (Feb. 6-8) official visit during which he is to put the final touches on a major Franco-Indian defence contract.

The contract, which is worth $2.2 billion, is for six Scorpene-class submarines, as well as 36 SM-39 Exocet missiles that are to equip the Scorpenes. The submarines are to be built near Bombay, at Mazagaon, under the direction of the Indian Navy, but with the assistance of French engineers and technicians.

French defence ministry sources say they hoped the contract could be signed during Mr Raffarin’s visit, but that it is most likely to be signed only following Mr Raffarin’s visit, perhaps in mid-February said the sources, especially as the finalized contract first has to receive the green light from the Indian Council on Internal Security.

But as India is also understood to want to link this order to another deal which would include the acquisition of 126 Mirage 2000-5 jets, a controversial order for the aircraft are equipped to carry nuclear arms and would give India’s strategic forces an enhanced capability in this regard, the order has become an issue with which France is understood to want to deal with separately.

Already India possesses 40 Mirage 2000-H (Hindustan) jets, whose capabilities are quite inferior to those of the 2000-5. India is said to have paid for 10 of the jets, which it wants to take possession of this year, said French defence sources.

Another factor behind the delay is the internal debate going on within the French foreign policy and defence hierarchy as to whether it is in France’s best interest to accord India with what amounts to a strategic superiority over Pakistan, a country with which France is known to want to maintain good relations.