French President Sarkozy opens UAE base
Posted on May 27th, 2009
BBC News – UK
26 May 2009
President Nicolas Sarkozy has formally opened a French military base in the United Arab Emirates, France’s first permanent base in the Gulf.
The flags of France and the UAE were raised at a ceremony at the so-called “Peace Camp” in the Abu Dhabi emirate.
France is a leading military supplier to the Gulf state, and signed a nuclear co-operation agreement last year. …
The US maintains the predominant foreign military presence in the Gulf, with key air bases and logistics operations, and its Fifth Fleet housed in Bahrain.
However, Peace Camp gives France a strategic position on the vital Gulf shipping corridor, which carries about 40% of the world’s petroleum supplies.
