Marseilles (France), Sept. 29 : Speaking on the sidelines of the Ninth India-EU Summit here, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, said on Monday that he was quite optimistic about India and France reaching an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation in Paris on Tuesday after talks with French President Nicholas Sarkozy.

Marseilles (France), Sept. 29 : The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has begun an interaction with the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, and European Union Commisioner Javier Solana, on the need for strengthening of ties between India and the European Union.

Sources said that co-operation on peace and security issues is high on the agenda of the Ninth India-EU Summit.

Climate change and the global economic crisis will also figure in the discussions.

Before the summit commenced, India and the EU inked a civil aviation pact that will pave the way for greater air connectivity and facilitate better travel facilities for passengers.

London, Sept 29: In a new tell-all book, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been alleged to have had “brutal” exchanges with his former wives and lovers.

Famous author Hubert Coudurier writes in the controversial book ‘Love, Rupture and Betrayal’ that in the run-up to the presidential elections last year, an altercation between Sarkozy and his then-wife Cecilia had even led to a police complaint.

Marseille, France - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met top European Union officials in the French port of Marseille on Monday at a summit hosted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The summit is set to call for EU-Indian cooperation on civilian nuclear research and development, a day before Sarkozy and Singh are due to discuss in Paris a deal on nuclear cooperation between their respective states, EU diplomats told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Paris - As evidence grew that the US finance crisis had reached Europe, French shares fell sharply in early trading on Monday, with banking shares leading the decline.

After one hour of trading on Monday, the Paris Bourse's benchmark CAC 40 was down 3.17 per cent, at 4,031.27, with slumping issues outpacing winners by 12 to 1.

The Franco-Belgian financial services group Dexia was the biggest loser, giving up nearly one-fourth of its value, as the Belgian government declared that it would come to its support as it had with the Fortis financial group.

Marseilles (France), Sept 29: The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has said that he is looking forward to his meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Tuesday.

Briefing reporters ahead of his arrival in Marseilles, where he will address the Ninth India-EU Summit, Dr. Singh said: "We have already initialed the framework agreement in civil nuclear matters. It will certainly come up for review and possible signature during my visit."