India, France agree to enhance bilateral cooperation

New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) In a bid to strengthen economic
relationship, India and France have agreed for enhanced
bilateral cooperation in areas like IT and telecommunications,
energy, roads, urban development, railways and agriculture.

"Indo-French trade was USD 8.85 billion during 2007-08...
there is a need to work together to create balance in
bilateral trade," India's Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal
Nath said Tuesday evening after meeting with French Minister
of State for Foreign Trade Anne Marie Idrac.

The minister also said that there is a need to establish
linkages between small and medium enterprises on both sides to
enhance trade and investment flows.

France is the ninth largest investor in India with
foreign direct investment of USD 1.3 billion since August
1991.

Sectors that attracted FDI inflows in the last eight
years include services, chemicals, cement, automobile industry
and petroleum and natural gas.

Companies like Ranbaxy Laboratories and Electrosteel
Castings have invested in France, while major French firms
such as Aventis Cropscience SA, Essilor International, Alcatel
CIT and Ciments Francails have invested in India.

India's main exports to France during 2007-08 were
cotton, petroleum machinery and instruments, transport
equipment, leather footwear, while the country's major imports
from France are electronic goods, iron and steel, gold,
chemical products, machinery. PTI RR
PMR


Militants destroy containers filled with supplies for NATO

Islamabad, Feb 4 (PTI) Pro-Taliban militants destroyed
eight containers carrying supplies for NATO forces in
Afghanistan in a rocket attack on a terminal in Pakistan's
Khyber tribal region Wednesday.

The militants fired five rockets at the terminal in Landi
Kotal sub-district of Khyber Agency, destroying eight
containers, the media here reported.

There were no reports of casualties in the attack.

Local militia forces launched a search for the militants
responsible for the attack. This was the fourth attack on NATO
supplies since security forces launched an operation against
the Taliban in the Khyber Agency in mid-January.

The attack came a day after militants blew up a key
bridge in Khyber Agency, cutting off the main route for
supplies bound for the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Taliban militants had earlier destroyed nearly 300
containers in attacks on terminals in Peshawar that are used
by trucks ferrying supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan.

The Taliban also carried out an attack in the Landi Kotal
cantonment Tuesday night, injuring an official of the
paramilitary Frontier Constabulary. PTI