A French military base in Abu Dhabi

The military base that President Nicolas Sarkozy will inaugurate Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates, will be the preferred support ships of the French Navy in the strategic Gulf region.

•     This will not only be the first French military base in the Gulf, but also the only abroad outside Africa.
  
      "It faces the Hormuz Strait, through which passes 40% of world oil, hence its strategic interest," explained the French presidency at the start of the project.
  
      "The naval base and support of Abu Dhabi will be the preferred support ships of the Navy in the region, said an official source in the French capital emirate.
  
      The "French military Establishment in the United Arab Emirates (IMFEAU), official name of the base, had been an agreement signed in January 2008 during a previous visit by Mr. Sarkozy in Abu Dhabi.
  
      In addition to the naval base, which will be installed in the Mina Zayed area, the facility also includes an air-air base detachment at Al-Dhafra and a Land grouping in Zayed Military City.
  
      Provided initially with a workforce of some 400 men, IMFEAU has only 252, 123 on mission of three years and 129 on mission from 2 to 4 months, had said in March the French Minister of Defense Hervé Morin, in a submission to the National Assembly posted on the website of his ministry.
  
      The air detachment has been operational since 1st October 2008 at Al-Dhafra, where he has 3 Mirage 2000-5 and its total staff, 57 military, said the French official under cover of anonymity.
  
      As to the naval base and support, which must have completed 72 military, "it will in the coming weeks, be able to accommodate boat stops in transit in the region", the same source added.
  
      For its part, the land group has a total of 93 soldiers, according to Mr. Morin, who said that IMFEAU would be "fully" operational until September 2010.
  
      The remaining staff will be composed of police and intelligence services.
  
      The land unit will have the task to ensure the missions of education and training for fighting in urban areas and in the desert, said the official source.
  
      "In the coming months, the amount IMFEAU strength in terms of personnel and resources to contribute to missions of general support to our forces and bilateral training with the Emirates forces, said the same source, explaining that a hundred French military will join next summer one hundred personnel already in place.
  
      The IMFEAU was created under the defense agreement which links France and the UAE since 1995.
  
      According to the agreement of 2008, Abu Dhabi finance infrastructure, while Paris bears the cost of equipment and operation.
  
      "France will have the free use of all facilities on the three units of the IMFEAU," said the official source.
  
      
  Ennaharonline/ afp