Paris: France said yesterday it would look into building two nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia as part of a multi-billion-euro package of deals, days before the deadline of nuclear talks with the kingdom’s rival, Iran.
A feasibility study will be carried out to build two European Pressurised Reactors in Saudi Arabia, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius announced after a meeting with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Mohamed bin Salman in Paris.
The announcement came as talks with Iran go to the wire ahead of the June 30 deadline.
World powers are looking for guarantees that Iran’s nuclear programme will remain purely for civil energy purposes, and does not lead to a bomb or trigger an arms race with its regional competitors, particularly the Saudis.
In addition to the feasibility study, France will sign an agreement to train the Saudis on nuclear safety and the treatment of nuclear waste.
A French diplomatic source said that if the nuclear reactors are built the deal would be worth at least $10bn. A slew of other deals — totalling some $12bn — were also finalised during the first “Franco-Saudi Joint Commission” meeting, including the sale of 23 H-145 multipurpose helicopters for ¤500m and a commitment from the Saudis to buy 30 patrol boats for its navy.
“It represents the creation of many jobs and hundreds of millions of euros,” Fabius added.
Fabius also mentioned the Saudi Arabian Airlines order for 50 Airbus passenger planes valued at $8bn, first announced at last week’s Paris Air Show.
France has been reinforcing links with the kingdom despite persistent criticism of its human rights record, while Riyadh is keen to broaden its ties with Western powers beyond its traditional alliance with the United States. Salman also met French President Francois Hollande later yesterday.
Saudi Arabia has been under international pressure, including from Washington and Paris, to drop a sentence of 1,000 lashes for a human rights activist and blogger.
The kingdom has also faced criticism over its use of the death penalty. According to an AFP count, Saudi Arabia executed 102 locals and foreigners in the year to mid-June, compared with 87 during all of 2014.
Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has confirmed death sentences for two suspected Saudi Al Qaeda members convicted of murdering four Frenchmen in 2007, according to press reports.
The pair were convicted of shooting dead the French nationals — one of whom was a teenager — near the western city of Medina while they were on a desert excursion from their homes in the capital Riyadh.
France’s $3 billion Saudi-funded deal to provide military supplies to Lebanon has not been cancelled, the Saudi foreign minister said yesterday, despite delays caused by concerns that weapons could end up in the wrong hands.
“There is an agreement... there is no blockage. Everything is proceeding normally,” said Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir during a visit to Paris.
Lebanon received the first tranche of weapons designed to bolster its army against jihadist threats, including anti-tank guided missiles, in April, but press reports have since indicated that the $3bn programme has run into obstacles.
French diplomatic source also denied the deal had been cancelled but said there were delays.
“It is being evaluated at the request of the Saudis for political reasons because Saudi Arabia is extremely cautious on the issue that these materials go only to the Lebanese army,” the source said.
“The Saudis want guarantees that this material is not diverted to other forces.”
Lebanon’s Shia militant movement Hezbollah, which plays a key role in Lebanese politics, is backed by Saudi Arabia’s chief regional rival Iran. It backs the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, while the Saudis back the Sunni rebel opposition.
“The work is ongoing but we are confident that the programme will be put into practice in all its dimensions,” said the diplomatic source.AFP
