ISLAMABAD: France is ready to consider Pakistan’s request for enhancing civil nuclear cooperation but keeping in view the international obligations.

“We are ready to consider Pakistan’s request for enhancing cooperation in area of civil nuclear energy in line with protecting international obligations,” Philippe Thiebaud, the Ambassador of France in Pakistan, said while talking to reporters, after first Schneider Electric’s ‘World of Energy Efficiency for a better Pakistan’ road show here on Wednesday.

The French ambassador said that Pakistan was working with China in areas of civil nuclear cooperation and it was the choice of the country to take any such decision. “We have not received any request from Islamabad to enhance civil nuclear cooperation,” he added.

To another query regarding unequivocal opposition to Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline as being done by US, the ambassador said that it would be the choice of the government of Pakistan to move ahead with this project keeping in view resolutions of United Nations related to sanctions on Iran. “We have not received any request for help related to this project,” he made it clear.

When asked about helping Pakistan for construction of Diamer-Bhasha dam, he said that France was providing assistance to Pakistan for hydropower projects mainly for smaller projects such as Gabban hydropower located in KP, Jagran project having capacity of over 100MW electricity and Munda dam, which is a big project compared to others. France, he said, had not yet provided any assistance for Diamer Bhasha dam.

He said that France was part of consortium of development partners for saving energy to the tune of 1,000MW along with other donors such as ADB, WB, Germany and others. There are different components of this comprehensive programme related to energy saving with total cost of $600 million in shape of soft loans and France was contributing $28 million. The energy saving programme, he said, was under implementation since 2010 and it was comprised of different components.

Source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-2-205808-France-ready-for-civil-N-cooperation-with-Pakistan%2c-says-envoy