"France recognises the need for full international cooperation with India in the civilian nuclear field and will work towards that by collaborating with other countries and with the Nuclear Suppliers Group," French President Jacques Chirac and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said after meeting in Paris.

"France welcomes the firm commitment by India to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the measures it has taken and intends to take in that regard," they said in a joint statement, issued in French.

"In this context, the two countries are working to seal a bilateral cooperation agreement in the nuclear field."

The Nuclear Suppliers Group comprises 30 countries including Britain, France and the United States, which work together to direct the development of atomic energy in the world while enforcing the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

India, which is not party to the treaty and which tested nuclear weapons in 1998, has already won approval for its civilian nuclear energy programme from the United States and Britain.

France's inclusion strengthens India's claim to be a unique case among non-signatories to the non-proliferation treaty which should nonetheless receive assistance.

Chirac's endorsement of India's civilian nuclear ambitions came after Singh confirmed his country was purchasing six Franco-Spanish submarines in a contract worth 2.4 billion euros (three billion dollars) and 43 Airbus planes worth 1.8 billion euros.

The submarine deal, which France had been lobbying hard to win, will involve the Franco-Spanish made vessels being assembled in Mumbai as part of a technology transfer arrangement.

The 65-metre (213-foot) long diesel-electric vessels are designed for coastal defence, with sophisticated detection equipment, six torpedo tubes and missile launchers. They are able to stay at sea for up to 45 days with a crew of 31, and can dive to a depth of 300 metres.

The Airbus deal was previously announced by Singh and India's state-run Indian Airlines.

The contracts were "a measure of the friendship, trust and cooperation" between their two countries, Chirac said as he greeted Singh before their meeting.

It was the 72-year-old French president's first meeting with a foreign dignitary since being released from hospital last Friday after suffering what his doctors called a minor vascular problem that affected one of his eyes.

Chirac said the talks agenda also included India's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

He announced after the meeting that he had accepted an invitation from Singh to make a two-day visit to India starting February 20 next year. His last trip to the country dates back to 1998.

In the evening, Singh was to dine with French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. He will leave Tuesday for New York to attend a UN summit with other world leaders.

In an interview published Monday in Le Figaro newspaper, Singh vowed that any outside help India gets with its nuclear energy ambitions would be kept entirely separate from its military nuclear programme.

He sought to differentiate India from arch-rival Pakistan, which also tested A-bombs in 1998, by saying: "India is a democracy that functions well. Our political system offers sufficient guarantees to ensure that we keep our promises."

India, with its billion-plus population, imports 70 percent of its fuel requirements and with the price of oil hovering over 60 dollars a barrel is now looking urgently for alternative sources of energy.

"France is prepared with India to look at how it will be possible to cooperate in the civilian nuclear area within an international and bilateral framework that respects the non-proliferation criteria," a French diplomat said after the Chirac-Singh meeting.

She added that France's involvement "appeared necessary" to Chirac after US President George W. Bush moved to lift a ban on civilian nuclear technology sales that had been imposed on India after its May 1998 nuclear bomb tests.

All rights reserved. © 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.