(Xinhua) -- France is scheduled to close some of its military bases in Africa when it starts the implementation of the new 15-year defense and national security strategy, the French daily Le Figaro reported Saturday. A new white paper touching on defense and national security policies has been issued to parliamentarians who are directly concerned with defense issues, according to the newspaper. The document, which was prepared by a special commission established by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to specifically review the issue and come up with concrete proposals, is expected to be debated and adopted at a cabinet meeting in June, according to defense ministry sources.
While adapting its defense policy to the new international context, France must take into account the imperative of budgetary constraints in order to make well-informed choices, according to defense analysts.
A number of equipment are expected to pay the price of the economic saving measures, said one source, adding that military bases in Africa would be one of the first casualties of the draft defense and security policy.
However, according to observers, France is going to have to grapple with a daunting task as the closure of military bases in Africa is going to be resisted by many both within and outside the continent.
Speaking on the issue recently, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade said that Sarkozy should not implement the plan hurriedly as it would lead to disastrous consequences and even embolden rebellions. "Some regimes would simply not be able to survive such a move. They would be overrun overnight by rebel groups," said Wade, urging caution over the matter.
"The number of men that the army should be able to deploy abroad should also be decreased from a high of 50,000 to a low of 30,000," military sources were quoted as saying by the newspaper. To meet emerging dangers, the new white paper appears to belaying much emphasis on intelligence, according to the newspaper. National defense must adopt a new function consisting of "gathering intelligence and anticipating" in line with the new policy that will lead to the reorganization of various departments, the appointment of a coordinator of intelligence to work under the direct supervision of President of the Republic. The policy also calls for the acquisition of new observation satellites while at the same time assuring that the existing nuclear deterrence will be maintained, said the daily, adding that particular attention should be given to the protection of the territory and the population.
France's current defense policies have in recent days become the subject of critics, who notably have accused the government of ignoring security issues, according to the newspaper.