France close to deal on naval base in UAE

PARIS, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were close to a deal which would grant the French navy a permanent military base in the Gulf, Le Monde daily reported on Monday.

The deal was unveiled ahead of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's Tuesday visit to the UAE, which is part of his three-nation Gulf tour including Saudi Arabia and Qatar as well.

The two countries would sign an agreement on the base in Abu Dhabi during Sarkozy's visit to the UAE, the report said.

With the pact, France would be able to station its naval units in the UAE across the Gulf from Iran, like the United States and a few other Western nations with a military base in the crucial oil-producing region.

The agreement would add to the long-standing military cooperation with the Arab Gulf states including the UAE and Qatar.