President Sarkozy has been dropping broad hints about helping Pakistan in a “big way”. A civilan Nuclear Deal was announced by the Pakistanis, but the French presidency has been pretty tight lipped about it. That secrecy has now been broken by the French Economic and Commercial Counsellor Dominique Simon. If Mr. Simon is to be believed, Paris will sign a Civilian Nuclear deal between Pakistan and France this December. Mr. Simon however has added a few additional items to the list of joint ventures. Ship building, Horticulture, food processing, mining, oil and gas. He also hinted at joint venture opportunities in high technology that includes telecommunication, chemicals, automobiles,  infrastructure development projects like railways, seaport development, telecommunications and electronics  etc.

LAHORE: The agreement of global partnership between Pakistan and France would help Pakistani business to go global and technologically advance, said French Economic and Commercial Counsellor Dominique Simon on Thursday.

Speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Thursday, he said French President Nicolas Sarkozy is planning to visit Pakistan by the end of the year to finalise an agreement of global partnership.

The French diplomat said that the agreement of global partnership between Pakistan and France would help Pakistani business to go global and technologically advance.

He said that France had a history of relations with Pakistan and desires to further strengthen it.

Dominique Simon, who spent well over an hour at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that French Minister of Foreign Trade Anne-Marie IDRAC along with a team of MPs and businessmen is also visiting Lahore to have a direct interaction with the business community.

He said that France was ready to cooperate with Pakistan in civil nuclear technology to overcome the ongoing energy crisis and for that purpose French companies were ready to make investment.

He said that ALCATEL and TOTAL were planning to increase their investments in coming days that makes the point that France desires early economic revival of Pakistan. Daily Times

So, the question is, can Pakistanis trust the French Torjan horses bearing gifts? Is the Obama Administration circumventing a battle in the US Congress by asking the French to sign a Nuclear deal with Pakistan?  

Dominique Simon said that France had recently signed an agreement with Agriculture University Faisalabad that would help Pakistan’s agriculture sector in a big way.

Speaking on the occasion, the LCCI President Mian Muzaffar Ali stressed the need for catalogue exhibitions, exchanges of delegations, holding single country exhibitions, and country weeks on reciprocal basis to increase the volume of two-way trade.

The LCCI President said that there was a vast scope of joint ventures in the field of food processing, mining, oil and gas. Joint venture opportunities also exist in the field of high technology that includes telecommunication, chemicals, automobiles and ship building, he added.

Mian Muzaffar Ali said that French companies could also participate in infrastructure development projects like railways, seaport development, telecommunications and electronics.

He said Pakistan’s agriculture produce is among the best in the world but it has failed to exploit the traditional strength in agriculture, horticulture, livestock and food processing because of lack technology.

Although Pakistan is the 5th largest producer of milk in the world, the current industry is inadequate to meet the growing demand for milk and other dairy related products.

In this regard, French equipment and technology can help exploit Pakistan’s full potential in agriculture, horticulture, dairy, livestock and food processing sectors.

France and Pakistan have been steady trading partners. Analysis for the year 2007-08 shows that the trade between the two countries stood around $826 million. Pakistan’s imports from France remained $464 million, while Pakistan’s exports to France figured around $362 million during the year 2007. These figures clearly indicate that both the countries are not benefiting considerably in each other’s respective markets.

Traditionally, Pakistan and France have shared cordial diplomatic and economic ties. There have been a frequent high-level contacts between the two sides dating back to 60’s. Both have shared common perception on major issues related to international and regional peace and security.

That mutual cooperation is also visible in the areas of trade, industry and investment. The French multinationals have been able to find the favourable environment for long-term investment in Pakistan. Brand names like Total, Alcatel and LU have found acceptance in the Pakistani market on the basis of the strength of their products. Apart from these, there are several French firms engaged in the field of electrical equipment, oil and gas, rural telephony, civil engineering and defence.

LCCI President Mian Muzaffar Ali, Senior Vice President Tahir Javaid Malik, former President Mian Misbahur Rehman and former Senior Vice President Abdul Basit also spoke on the occasion. staff report. Agreement between Pakistan, France to help local businessmen. Daily Times