Sarkozy opens first mily base in Gulf

ABU DHABI (AFP) - President Nicolas Sarkozy formally opened France’s first military base in the Gulf on
Tuesday and pushed ahead with talks to try to secure a lucrative fighter plane deal with the United Arab
Emirates.
Sarkozy, on the second day of a visit to the oil-rich Gulf state, also declared that France plans to submit
proposals to world leaders at the G8 summit in July to try to end oil price volatility.
France’s so-called “Peace Camp” in Abu Dhabi - the first since the end of the colonial era - was inaugurated at
a ceremony attended by Sarkozy and UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Saif bin Zayed
al-Nahayan as the French and UAE flags were hoisted.
The base will host up to 500 troops stationed in three sites on the banks of the strategic Strait of Hormuz just
across from Iran: a navy and logistical base, a desert air base with three fighter planes and a training camp.
Paris is seeking to raise its profile in the region alongside Washington and London which also have Gulf bases,
and is seeking defence contracts and nuclear energy deals.
The opening of the base is widely seen as a sign of France’s tougher stance on Iran since Sarkozy took office in
2007, fuelled by concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
“Through this base - the first in the Middle East - France is ready to shoulder its responsibilities to ensure
stability in this strategic region,” Sarkozy said in an interview with the UAE’s official WAM news agency.
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital conduit through which 40 percent of the world’s crude oil is shipped and Iran has