Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
India during the 1990s, and Jean François-Poncet has organised at the Senate a
seminar on India in 1996. Senator Chaumont's report defined changing India as 'a
chance to seize'. See Villepin, 1994; François-Poncet, 1996, 1997; Chaumont,
1999.
8.
Foreign policy is usually a matter of large consensus under 'cohabitation'. From de
Gaulle onward, the Presidents, besides being head of armed forces as per the
Constitution, also grasped a share of authority in foreign affairs. The similarity of
views regarding India between the Right and the Left in power is nonetheless
remarkable.
9.
See Doré on economy, in
Le Figaro,
22 Jan. 1998, Parmentier on security in
L'Express,
22 Jan. 1998 and Racine on larger issues in
Le Monde,
23 Jan. 1998.
10.
The list of the delegation members reads as a 'Who is who' in banking, insurance,
energy, services, engineering, information technology and aviation. The CEOs of
Dassault, Aerospatiale, Thomson and Framatome were present, along with the
Finance Minister and the Minister for Research and Technology.
11.
Jacques Chirac's speech, Mumbai, 24 Jan. 1998.
12.
The Forum defines itself as 'a high-level non-government group of eminent
businessmen, scientists, academics, cultural personalities', but works in touch with
the foreign affairs ministries of both governments. His Indian co-Chairman has
been Dr Karan Singh, then Ramakrishna Hedge, whilst former French Foreign
Affairs Minister Jean François-Poncet co-chairs it since its inception. The Forum met
for the first time in Paris in July 1998.
13.
Jacques Chirac's speech, New Delhi, 25 Jan. 1998.
14.
K.K.Katyal in
The Hindu,
27 Jan. 1998.
15.
The quote is the title of an unsigned piece published in
The Economic Times
on 14
May 1998.
16.
Jasjit Singh's lecture on 'India's Strategic and Security Perspectives', Maison des
Sciences de l'Homme, Paris, 2 June 1999.
17.
See the symmetrical statements at an Indo-French seminar held in New Delhi in
2000. First, Hubert Védrine: 'in many areas the US engage in unilateral practices,
be it the desire to bypass international institutions, in strategic decision-making, or
in failing to meet commitments expected by the world community' (Védrine, in
CERI & al, 2001, p.199). Then Jaswant Singh: 'The US approach tends to be
perceived by other countries as an attempt at imposition of US values and standards
—whether on human rights, nuclear and missile proliferation, multilateral trade
issues, intellectual property rights (…). Many countries, including notably France
and India, as well as Russia and China, have expressed reservations about at least
some of these developments' (Singh, in CERI & al, 2001, pp.215-16).
18.
See Védrine's interview to
The Hindu
on 15 Feb. 2000: multipolarity 'is all about
reinforcing stability and co-operation in to morrow's world amongst all the poles,
whatever these poles might be'. Védrine clarified in
Le Monde Diplomatique
issue
of Dec. 2000: 'If I did not sign the final declaration, it was (…) because I could not
agree that (…) there should be set up a holy alliance of democratic nations
exclusively chosen by the State Department on the basis of dubious criteria (…)
and taking instructions from that Department as to how vote at the UN'.
19.
The IFPCAR has supported since its inception more than 200 research projects in
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