Global Arab Network | France opens first Military base in the Gulf

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France opens first Military base in the Gulf

Nicolas Sarkozy opened France's first permanent military base in the Gulf region, with French officials saying the facility will strengthen efforts to battle piracy and defend trade.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, inaugurated the base, dubbed Peace Camp, in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

Located in Abu Dhabi, the facility will host up to 500 troops stationed at three sites: a navy and logistical base, an air base housing three fighter planes and a training camp.

Speaking at a maritime security conference, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the UAE's president, called the deal "an important pillar of our foreign policy because it helps the stability in the Gulf region".

The base sits on the banks of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 40 per cent of the world's crude oil is transported.

Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, said that the naval base in Abu Dhabi was aimed at supporting and training France's allies in the region.

"Some 90 per cent of European trade traffic is by sea and we have to defend traffic and trade and we are interested in the Gulf and want to bring about the necessary balance in this region," he said.

France will also play a role in combating piracy in the region.

"The naval base is also strategic for international security and stability. We assure maritime trade security in this region, the Mediterranean sea, the Gulf waters and the Indian Ocean," Kouchner said.

He declined to comment on whether the UAE had finalised a deal to buy Rafale fighter planes from France's Dassault Aviation.

Dassault said on Saturday it was in talks with the UAE on a possible order for its Rafale fighters, in what would be the first sale of the aircraft to a foreign buyer.

The Le Parisien newspaper reported on Saturday that France was finalising the sale of 60 Rafale jets in a deal worth $8-11bn, and that Sarkozy would personally push the issue during his visit to Abu Dhabi.

Dassault declined to confirm the figures and said only that an agreement might be reached this year.

France also hopes the base will strengthen its ties with the UAE, which plans to build a number of nuclear reactors to meet an expected need for an extra 40,000 megawatts of electricity by 2017.

France's Total, Suez, and state nuclear reactor maker Areva said last year they planned to develop two third-generation nuclear reactors in the UAE.

The Reuters news agency reported a source close to Sarkozy, who arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday night, as saying that state-controlled power firm EDF would be joining the French consortium.

US firms GE and Westinghouse Electric are also hoping to compete for a share of the expected $40bn market.

According to French media, in a recent interview in Diplomatic magazine, Sarkozy reasserted that the new military presence underlined France's desire "to participate fully in the stability of this region that is essential for the world's equilibrium."

During his visit, Sarkozy will also lead a French business group seeking profitable arms and civilian nuclear deals.

The French manufacturer Dassault Aviation has so far never sold Rafales abroad. France hopes the UAE can be persuaded to sign a contract of 60 new Rafales, which amounts to 6 billion to 8 billion euros (about 8 billion to 11 billion U.S. dollars). However, a Dassault's spokesman said last Saturday that the finalization of the contract was not expected to be made in the coming days. (Guardian, AP, Xinhua, New York Times, Reuters, France24)

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