Abu Dhabi - French President Nicolas Sarkozy sealed a key
deal for a civil nuclear project in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on
Tuesday afternoon, in addition to inking several cooperation
agreements in the military and traditional energy fields.
'This (nuclear project) deal does not contradict the commitment of
the Emirates to work with the countries of the Gulf Cooperation
Council in the area of peaceful nuclear power use; this is an
addition to our efforts in this area,' Emirates Foreign Minister
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed al-Nahyan told the press after striking the
deal with his French counterpart Herve Morin.
Al-Nahyan added that the Emirates are currently immersed in high-
level negotiations with the United States, Russia, Germany, China,
Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom, over its anticipated civil
nuclear programme and its draft policy.
'We are in preparations to seek similar direct consultation with
the International Atomic Energy Agency,' added the minister.
The Emirates' official news agency WAM said that the pair also
signed a defence cooperation deal in Abu Dhabi's Musharraf Palace.
Under this defence agreement, Sarkozy signed a memorandum of
understanding on establishing a permanent French naval base in the
port city of Abu Dhabi, Arab broadcaster al-Jazeera said citing
unnamed French sources.
This deal also secures long-term bilateral relations between Paris
and Abu Dhabi in the military sector.
Sarkozy's UAE visit is the third and final leg of his Gulf tour,
which had previously taken him to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Before leaving Qatar, Sarkozy had told the Arab television
broadcaster al-Jazeera that Arab countries should not be banned from
using nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
The president predicted that 'in 40 years from now there will be
no oil left and in 100 years no more gas,' and so nuclear power, in
his view, will replace both resources.
'It is the energy of the future,' he told the press.
The French president had discussed in Riyadh and Doha cooperation
deals worth some 40 billion euros (59.4 billion dollars), most of
which are expected to be sealed in the next few months, according to
pan-Arab newspaper al-Hayat.
France and Qatar also signed protocols managing their cooperation
in the energy sectors - traditional, renewable and nuclear.
Sarkozy, accompanied by the heads of top French firms, including
Areva Transmission and Distribution and oil company Total, had
already inked energy agreements that include transporting electrical
equipment worth up to 500 million euros to Qatar, which is flush with
cash and investment opportunities, and abundant in oil.
In the UAE, Sarkozy's visit also extended France-UAE economic,
education and cultural ties and saw the signing of three memorandums
of understanding in the fields of transportation, education and
protection of intellectual property.
French ambassador to Abu Dhabi Patrice Paoli had earlier told the
country's official news agency that Sarkozy's visit was 'important
and will translate mutual intentions and commitments' between the two
countries in many fields.
In addition to the commercial, military and civil deals, rounding
off his visit to the Emirates, the president held talks with the head
of the state Sheikh Khalifah Bin Zayed al-Nahyan regarding regional
issues of concern, including the Lebanese political standoff and the
controversial Iranian nuclear programme.
During the first leg of his tour in Saudi Arabia, Sarkozy had
signed four bilateral agreements covering the areas of oil and gas,
political cooperation, investment, and education and vocational
training.
Before leaving Riyadh, Sarkozy criticized the high price of oil,
currently hovering at around 100 dollars a barrel. His comments
echoed similar sentiments expressed by US President George W Bush,
also currently on a Mideast tour.
'When the price of oil increases three-fold in four years to reach
100 dollars per barrel, I feel perturbed about the nature of such
increases,' said Sarkozy, who questioned the effects of the rocketing
cost on purchasing power and on poorer nations with a shortage of
alternative energy resources.
'We believe that the realistic price for oil should be 70
dollars,' he added.
His statements sparked a reaction from Qatari Energy Minister
Abdullah Bin Hamad al-Attiyah, who said that the rise to the 100-
dollar mark was a fleeting development connected to fluctuations and
traffic in the market.
© 2008 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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