France says Rafale deal info classified

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 20

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s accusation against Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of having spoken untruth about the Rafale deal seems to be on shaky ground. The French government has officially contradicted claims made by him regarding his conversation with President Emanuel Macron during his visit in March.

“I met the President of France. I asked him about the secrecy clause and he denied that any such clause exists in the agreement. He told me so and I don’t have any objection if you tell this to everyone; the gentleman clearly said there is no secret pact between the French and the Indian government. So the Defence Minister has clearly spoken an untruth,” said Gandhi.

The spokesperson for the French Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs underlined what Macron said in an interview ahead of his Delhi visit that ‘In India and France, when a deal is very sensitive’, we can’t reveal all details’.

“France and India concluded in 2008 a security agreement, which legally binds the two states to protect the classified information provided by the partner, which could impact security and operational capabilities of the defence equipment of India or France. These provisions apply to the Inter-Governmental Agreement concluded on September 23, 2016, on the acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft,” he said.

Rahul claims…

I met the President of France. I asked him about the secrecy clause and he denied that any such clause exists in the agreement… the gentleman clearly said there is no secret pact between the French and the Indian government. So the Defence Minister has clearly lied

France explains…

France and India concluded in 2008 a security agreement, which legally binds the two states to protect the classified information provided by the partner... These provisions apply to the Inter-Governmental Agreement concluded on September 23, 2016, on the acquisition of 36 Rafale jets