RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
And while President Bush has spent time visiting Arab allies, the president of France has been conducting his own tour of the region. Nicolas Sarkozy has been trying to strengthen France's position in the Arab world. Yesterday he signed a deal with the United Arab Emirates granting French troops a permanent home in the Persian Gulf, just across the water from Iran.
From Dubai, NPR's Ivan Watson reports.
IVAN WATSON: Nicolas Sarkozy arrived here on the heels of President Bush. He quickly sat down with the rulers of this wealthy Arab oil sheikhdom to sign an agreement to establish France's first military base in the Persian Gulf. The plan is to deploy up to 500 French soldiers, sailors and airmen at an installation in Abu Dhabi by 2009. Currently the U.S. is the dominant military force in the Persian Gulf. There are some 40,000 American troops stationed across this strategic oil-rich region.
While visiting the UAE, the French president also signed an agreement aimed at eventually building a $6 billion nuclear power plant here. In Saudi Arabia, Sarkozy made a similar offer to provide nuclear technology. The Arab country's move towards developing nuclear technology has been prompted in part by their growing concern about their large neighbor, Iran. For years Tehran has been pursuing its own nuclear program.
Ivan Watson, NPR News, Dubai.