INTRODUCTION The French President, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, and the West German Chancellor, Helmut Schmidt, have opened their two day summit talks in France with agreement on how to deal with a nuclear exports controversy. No details have been released but according to spokesmen in Paris the two leaders reached a broad measure of agreement on the peaceful use of nuclear energy and on stopping the spread of nuclear weapons.

SYNOPSIS: The controversy centres on United States criticism of France and West Germany for their decisions to sell nuclear reprocessing plants to Pakistan and Brazil. Atom bombs can be developed from these plants, and the deals have been causing deep anxiety in Washington.

While French Premier Raymond Barre met Chancellor Schmidt, the United States Vice President, Walter Mondale, said that both European nations promised to consult Washington on the nuclear dispute. Mr. Mondale has just returned from a European tour. But it was not clear whether such consultations could block either the French-Pakistan or German-Brazilian contracts.

On economic policy, France wants Chancellor Schmidt to stimulate the West German economy to the benefit of the weaker European countries. But the French Premier is said to personally agree with Herr Schmidt's fears that German reflection may cause a new burst of price rises around Europe.

Later in the day President Valery Giscard d'Estaing and Chancellor Helmut Schmidt discussed ways of better coordinating the German and French economies. They reached basic agreement on their approach to the Western economic summit likely to be held in Britain in early summer. The President proposed a special Common market summit to prepare Europe's position for the meeting. The special European summit will take place a month after the Common Market heads-of-government conference in Rome at the end of next month.