France signs defense agreement with Kuwait

Herve Asquin

Agence France Presse

PARIS: France signed a defense agreement with Kuwait on Wednesday, strengthening its military ties with the Gulf state and opening the way for increased defense trade.

Kuwaiti Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad al-Sabah said that the agreement would allow for more strategic co-operation between the two armed forces, building upon an existing 1992 agreement.

After both signing the accord in Paris, his French counterpart Herve Morin said that “France is returning to this region, which is of global strategic importance, and wants to take its place there to safeguard its security.”

“The Iranian nuclear program is causing instability and insecurity throughout the Gulf states,” he added, later stressing that Kuwait was “extremely worried” about it.

Paris has significantly boosted its ties with oil-rich monarchies in the Middle East over the past few months.

In May, President Nicolas Sarkozy opened a permanent French military base in the United Arab Emirates, while also renewing an existing 1995 defense accord at the same time.

Morin said the base showed France was fully committed to building peace and security in the region.

Paris, he said, could be another partner for the Gulf states alongside Washington, “a friend of the Americans but with our own vision for world security and stability.”

Sabah said that Kuwait would be “proud” to have the supersonic Rafale jet for its armed forces at some point in the future.

“We hope to see an offer [from France] on the matter soon,” he told journalists in at the sidelines in Paris.

Source: Daily Star.
Link: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=107846.