Hours after Rahul Gandhi claimed in the Lok Sabha that the French President had told him there was no secrecy clause in the Government-to-Government Rafale deal with India, France said a security agreement it concluded with India in 2008 legally binds the two countries to protect the classified information relating to operational capabilities of defence equipment.

However, a statement issued by the French Government did not specifically mention whether the classified information included details of the pricing.

“We have noted the statement of Mr Rahul Gandhi before the Indian Parliament. France and India concluded in 2008 a security agreement, which legally binds the two States to protect the classified information provided by the partner, that could impact security and operational capabilities of the defence equipment of India or France,” the spokesperson of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs said.

The official further said, “These provisions naturally apply to the IGA (Inter Governmental Agreement) concluded on September 23, 2016 on the acquisition of “As the President of the French Republic indicated publicly in an interview given to India Today on March 9, 2018, in India and in France, when a deal is very sensitive, we can’t reveal all details,” the official said.

However, Rahul was specially referring to the absence of “secrecy” clause in the inter-Government deal as reportedly admitted to him by the French President. Even in the statement put out by France this evening, there is no mention of any clause in the 2008 agreement that came in the way of disclosing the price of the fighter aircraft. The French statement talked about the clause that sought to protect classified information that could impact security and operational capabilities of the defence equipment of India or France. How does it come in the way of disclosing the price is not explained?

Notwithstanding the denial by the French embassy here, Rahul stuck to his ground and said former PM Manmohan Singh and senior Congress leader Anand Sharma were also with him when they had met the French President in Delhi.

“Let them deny it if they want. He (French President) said before me. I was there, Anand Sharma and Dr Manmohan Singh were also there,” Rahul said on France statement on the Rafale deal.

DISCLAIMER:

The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article.

Courtesy: Pioneer: Saturday, 21 July 2018