India at heart of new global order: Villepin

‘‘India’s affirmation on the international scene is, for France, a sign of hope…I formulate the wish that France, Europe and India, true to their fight for liberty, continue to strive for a world free of fear and oppression.’’

Villepin said the UN would have to make reforms and expand the UN security council and include countries such as India. ‘‘The Security Council is alone in having the required legitimacy to authorise and support the use of force … Faced with new threats, states must be able to count on the Council’s enhanced capacity to anticipate and act, and therefore its tools must be renovated.’’

Villepin also touched upon the issue of disarmament. ‘‘France has proposed the creation of a permanent corps of disarmament inspectors, which would provide an ongoing capacity for analysis and elimination of illegal programmes if need be..In this context, India is an asset.”

‘‘Your capacity for innovation and reform…provides the examples of an economy which has allied dynamism and equilibrium. The past year offers the two-fold satisfaction of a spectacular 7.5 per cent growth rate and inflation under control. Thanks to the size and dynamism of its domestic market, it can project itself into the future with confidence; names such as Wipro and Infosys have become symbols of technological and economic success.’’