The focus on Bruni may rob the visit of whatever substantive focus there might have been despite Sarkozy's emphatic declarations last week that he wants India as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a full member of the expanded G-8 group of industrial nations. In reality, the big, bold moves in bilateral relations are stuck because the Indo-US nuclear deal is stuck—the French were to offer to build nuclear reactors for India. Another setback has been the cancellation of the Eurocopter deal while none of the other defence deals are yet ready to be signed.
But, as Mansingh says, it is important for India to be engaged with world leaders and every visit can't be measured in terms of agreements signed or documents delivered. So while the public attention may rest on the froth of Bruni's presence, President Sarkozy and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will review issues of gravity in private.
