PM Indira Gandhi's French foray turns out to be a satisfying finale to her European tour

Mrs Gandhi with Mitterrand: Excellent rapportFrench cordiality was not a mirage. "It is not for effecting the sale of lethal French warplanes or howitzers for which the Sorbonne is honouring Madame Gandhi, but for her significant contributions towards international peace and co-existence," remarked a professor of political science of Paris' North University to a select audience at the Sorbonne University, watching Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi being invested with the doctoratehonoris causa.The young professor's sentiment aptly summed up the preoccupation of the French media - the unrelenting speculation regarding the clinching of the Mirage 2000 deal or the possibility of France supplying enriched uranium. Neither issue dominated Mrs Gandhi's visit; the only instance when she made a fleeting reference to nuclear stockpiling was at the Sorbonne function.Welcoming Blitz: Mrs Gandhi came to Paris after charming the Bulgarians, the Italians, and the Pope. The striking impression she made on the Parisians pleased her hosts immensely. After all, the Socialist Government, determined to make the first official state visit of its new-found Asian ally a resounding success, had laid out all the red carpets it could find.Backing the extravaganza was a media blitz. Le Monde once again brought out Indian supplements and the Paris-based International Herald Tribune a special supplement on Indian engineering. Two of the three tightly-controlled television channels featured Mrs Gandhi in interviews on successive days. She was hailed as a "champion of the Third World" and a "high priestess of non-alignment" by the daily press.Yet, despite all the billing and cooing, the Mirage 2000 deal remained as shadowy as ever. The elusive 'letter of intent' never figured in any of Mrs Gandhi's statements, official declarations or briefings. A spokesman in the French Defence Ministry pointed out that there seemed to be no chances of the Mirage deal being signed within the next few days, and an Indian diplomat remarked that the Indian delegation did not include a single defence expert.Said he: "This visit was meant to establish closer political and economic lies." Indian officials claim that the purchase of the aircraft would be effected only after thorough examination back home.The influential Paris daily Le Matin, which carried the banner headline '150 Mirages For Indira Gandhi", reported alongside the cost of the deal, the sanction of the record International Monetary Fund loan to India. Some French intellectuals seemed to question the logic of seeking developmental aid while investing in arms.Yves de Chazournes, Le Matin's south Asia expert, said: "Well, such contradictions exist even in French politics. The Government talks of curbing the arms race but is emerging as one of the world's leading arms salesmen." Chazournes predicts a warm period of relations between India and France, excellent prospects in trade ties, but feels differences may occur in several areas of the political field.Tough Stance: Afghanistan and Kampuchea are two prominent stumbling blocks. French President Francois Mitterrand has adopted a tougher stance towards the Soviet Union than even his predecessor. Said Lionel Jospin, general secretary of the Socialist Party: "The SS-20 is an immediate and direct threat to Europe."In an interview to the West German magazine Stern, Mitterrand had said: " Through the intervention in Afghanistan, the Soviet Union for the first time took the risk of an expansionist operation of a colonial type against a country of the Third World and an Islamic one to boot, thus contradicting a policy of 60 years standing which tended to demonstrate that it was their natural champion."Last month, Pravda, in the first detailed Soviet analysis of Mitterrand, expressed grave doubts over the latter's foreign policy. A lengthy article by Pravda's Editor-in-Chief Victor Kafanasiev was deeply critical of the French leader's stance on Afghanistan which Paris said was an obstacle to normal relations with Moscow.But India's relations with the Soviet Union did not seem to faze either of the two countries. The Indians feel that the French are sensitive to the country's geo-political interests and are not harshly critical. Mrs Gandhi firmly stated India's commitment to a non-aligned path when she was asked about the Soviet influence on India. She denied that there was a Soviet shadow flitting across the land.In other areas of bilateral negotiations the spirit of Cancun prevailed and both countries pledged to pursue global negotiations. In trade, four major memorandums were signed - they related to the sharing of technology, the exploration of coal, provision of French assistance for environmental studies, the development of switchgear testing facilities at Bangalore and the establishment of an Indo-French joint working group on alternative sources of energy. "We had expected this kind of close rapprochement," said a Foreign Ministry spokesman, "We are a new government and we will determinedly strive for even closer ties with India."Off-beat Rendezvous: One of Mrs Gandhi's most off-beat programmes was a meeting with a select group of intellectuals at the gorgeous Pompidou Centre in Paris. Mrs Gandhi mingled with them in a closed session to which journalists were not invited.Among the French heavyweights from the literary and art world were Jean Bernard, member of the hallowed Academie Franchise, professors Pierre Vernant and Jacques Rulfier of the College de France, professor Henri Stern of the Sorbonne, writers Louis Marcorelles, Raja Rao, Michel Tournier, and the highly regarded editor of the prestigious weekly Le Nouvel Observateur, Jean Daniel. Said Daniel: "As a politician she is very impressive, and as a political visit this can be regarded as a highly successful one. But to impress is not to conquer, is it? Intellectually, I am still unsure about my reactions."Mitterrand, for his part, was very sure and there was excellent rapport between him and Mrs Gandhi. At the end of the visit, the joint declaration issued spoke of India and France, reaffirming that they reject the conduct of international affairs based on fear, dominance and arrogance, on the use of violence and subversion, and the disregard of principles inscribed in the charter of the United Nations.The final sentiment of the joint declaration, stated that, through their joint efforts, they would like to create a new international economic order.All in all, Mrs Gandhi's French foray was a very satisfying finale to her European tour. Indeed, taken with the earlier trips to Melbourne and Cancun, the tour proved that the prime minister had lost none of her skill at visit diplomacy.No wonder, then, that the French welcomed her with an enthusiasm that, in the words of one French journalist, would have made even Josephine, Napoleon's queen, "green with envy".Published By: AtMigration Published On: Oct 25, 2013 11:34 IST--- ENDS ---

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PM Indira Gandhi's French foray turns out to be a satisfying finale to her European tour

Mrs Gandhi came to Paris after charming the Bulgarians, the Italians, and the Pope. The striking impression she made on the Parisians pleased her hosts immensely.

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