India, France may set up joint working group on terrorism

Narayanan informed the French leadership that India was willing to resume dialogue with Pakistan provided Islamabad stopped cross-border terrorism to create an atmosphere conducive for talks.

The President also briefed the French leadership about India’s relations with China and Russia.

On Sino-India relations, the President informed them that "they are at ease and fairly stable" especially after the visit of External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh to Beijing recently.

The entire gamut of bilateral and international relations came up for discussions between the two sides with Narayanan favouring a multi-polar world, a view endorsed by the French leaders, the sources said.

The French side urged India to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty CTBT) and supported New Delhi’s claim for a permanent seat in an enlarged UN Security Council.

About US President Bill Clinton’s recent visit to India, the President informed the French leadership that it would benefit Indo-US relations.