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| Europe |
| France to Open Abu Dhabi Base in May |
| 2009-03-14 |
| DUBAI - French President Nicolas Sarkozy is due to formally open his country's first Gulf-based military base in Abu Dhabi in May. In 2008, France signed an agreement with the UAE to set up its first permanent military base in Abu Dhabi "It will be the first such French base in the Gulf and it will face the Strait of Hormuz," a French presidential source said in January 2008.The strategic Strait of Hormuz, which separates the UAE's neighbors, Iran and Oman, is a vital conduit through which an estimated 40 percent of the world's crude oil passes. French officials said last year that the base will eventually host 400 to 500 French army, navy and air force personnel. |
| Posted by:3dc |