New Delhi, July 20 (UNI) France on Friday said it cannot reveal the details of the Rafale fighter jet deal with India as it is under the classified category.
"We have noted the statement of Mr Rahul Gandhi before the Indian Parliament. France and India concluded in 2008 a Security agreement, which legally binds the two States to protect the classified information provided by the partner," the spokesperson of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs said in a statement made available here.
The spokesperson was responding to Congress President Rahul Gandhi's statement in Parliament over his meeting with the French president Emmanuel Macron over the Rafale deal.
"We have noted the statement of Mr Rahul Gandhi before the Indian Parliament. France and India concluded in 2008 a Security agreement, which legally binds the two States to protect the classified information provided by the partner, that could impact security and operational capabilities of the defence equipment of India or France. These provisions naturally apply to the IGA concluded on 23 September 2016 on the acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft and their weapons.
"As the President of the French Republic indicated publicly in an interview given to India Today on 9th March 2018, in India and in France, when a deal is very sensitive, we can’t reveal all details," said the statement.
Participating in the debate over the no-confidence motion against the BJP-led NDA government, Mr Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha: that he had met the President of France and asked him about the secrecy clause. He (French president) 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 in the country ; the gentleman clearly said there is no secret pact between the French government and the Indian government. So the defence minister has clearly spoken an untruth."
UNI SRJ