Dubai: President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic, will inaugurate the French Maritime Base in Abu Dhabi.

The inauguration crowns a long-term military cooperation programme between the two countries on a variety of projects.

The base will host 500 personnel from the French navy, the army, and the air force. It will be able to simultaneously accommodate two frigates of the French fleet operating in the region.

Speaking to Gulf News, Riad Kahwaji, head of the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, said France and the UAE signed a reciprocal defence accord in 1995 that paved the way for further cooperation in a number of projects including the base.

He said the French base is the first of its kind in the Arabian Gulf. "The US has a number of military, air and maritime bases in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. The Abu Dhabi French Maritime Base is the first foreign military base for a friendly army in the UAE," Kahwaji said.

Asked if the inauguration of the base could enhance tension in the region and invite a nervous reaction from neighbouring countries like Iran, Kahwaji said the base, to the contrary, is expected to enhance stability and secure maritime line rather than promoting tension.

"The decision to host the French base was taken by the UAE government to allow a country like France to take part in ensuring the security of oil supplies from the region in the case of a hostile action against oil carriers by terrorist groups, pirate gangs or even by a hostile government," he said.

He said the growing number of piracy incidents in the Gulf of Aden is testimony of the need for international cooperation over maritime security in the region.

Kahwaji said the strong French presence in the region with the Abu Dhabi base to support such a presence would definitely have a positive impact on the over all security in the region.

"In addition to this, the UAE naval forces is still at a developing stage and needs the French expertise in fields of training in order to enhance its capabilities," Kahwaji said.

President Sarkozy announced earlier this year that France agreed to set up a maritime base in Abu Dhabi upon a request from the UAE authority, and as part of the long-term military cooperation between the two nations.

Corvette: Baynunah fleet

The 72-metre corvette weighs 66 tonnes and contains the machinery and engineering space for most of the main mechanical system.

It is considered the fastest missile strike craft worldwide with a suite of missile systems providing the ability to defend against threats from the air, land, and water - both on the surface and underwater.

According to the builder, the six Baynunah corvettes are a unique class of warship with multi-mission capabilities, including coastal patrol and surveillance, mine detection and avoidance, and helicopter operations.

Four of the six Baynunahs are under construction, with the first being built in Cherbourg, France, through a subcontractor. The other three are being constructed at ADSB's shipyard in Mussafah at a total coast of Dh3.67 billion. The warship includes weapons, navigation, and communications systems from suppliers in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Denmark, Australia and Sweden, among others.

The first Baynunah corvette is undergoing a massive testing programme and will be delivered to the UAE navy in the first half of 2010.

The second Baynunah is scheduled to be delivered eight months later, with the remaining corvettes to be delivered in six-month intervals until 2012.