Sarkozy opens French military base in Abu Dhabi

[tocqueville]

Source: France 24

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has opened a new French military base on the banks of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. This is France's first permanent base in the region.

At an opening ceremony attended by the visiting French president and UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Saif bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the flags of France and the UAE were raised at the new military base.

Dubbed the “Peace Camp,” the base will host around 500 troops stationed on three sites on the banks of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It will include a navy base, an air base, and a training camp.

Situated between Iran to the north and the Arabian Peninsula to the south, the strait is a maritime passage for about 40% of the world’s seaborne oil shipments.

Read more: http://www.france24.com/en/20090526-sarkozy-inaugurates-frances-first-gulf-base-abu-dhabi-military

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