ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday welcomed the French government's statement that every country has the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful civilian purposes and hoped that France would extend its technical assistance to Pakistan in this field for meeting energy requirements.

He said this while talking to the Military Joint Chief of Staff to President of France, Admiral Edouard Guillaud, who called on him here at the Prime Minister's House. The premier said Pakistan attaches high importance to its relations with France, which is amongst its leading trading and development partners in the European Union (EU), and urged that strategic consultations between the two countries should soon be resumed to take this relationship to new heights.

He said Pakistan is seeking greater market access to the EU, preferably in the form of a free trade agreement (FTA), especially since the EU has started FTA negotiations with India and all other countries in South Asia. "Leaving out Pakistan is discriminatory," he remarked.

Referring to President Asif Ali Zardari's recent useful meeting with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy in New York on the sidelines of the 63rd UN General Assembly meeting, the prime minister welcomed Sarkozy's initiative to broaden the scope of engagement with Pakistan and further expanding the multifaceted ties.

He expressed the hope that President Sarkozy would undertake his visit to Pakistan by the end of this year. The prime minister noted that the bilateral defence cooperation between Pakistan and France was progressing satisfactorily and Pakistan now had the largest worldwide fleet of Mirage III and V aircraft. He appreciated the French assistance for assembling AGOSTA submarine in Pakistan and expressed the hope that this cooperation would expand further in future.

He also briefed the French delegation in detail about Pakistan's efforts on the war against terrorism and welcomed President Sarkozy's stance that incursion of the United States and Nato forces into Pakistan's territory would be counterproductive.

Admiral Edouard Guillaud, while expressing his gratitude to Premier Gilani for honourably receiving his delegation, reiterated his government's policy of respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan.

He said France wants its relations with Pakistan to be again back on the track. "French troops are in Afghanistan to help Pakistan and not as substitute to Pakistan's forces fighting against terror on their soil," he clarified.