Hassan Hani Zade in an interview with the site of Strategic Council on Foreign Relations continued:” In the course of Macron’s visit to UAE, French President signed a contract to sell 80 Rafael fighter jets as well as 12 Caracal military helicopters with Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi with total cost $ 20 billion, which is considered as largest French military contract with UAE”.
According to the expert of the Middle East issues, among the reasons for UAE to turn to military cooperation with France was some of Washington’s policies against Abu Dhabi. He said:” UAE expected that the U.S. would sell 80 super modern F-35 fighters to UAE but the U.S. Congress opposed the selling of the fighters to the country. In fact, the U.S. Congress considers the selling of the fighters to Arab and Islamic countries as a threat against the security of the Zionist regime even though they have political relations with the regime, therefore, the Congress did not let President Joe Biden to sell these fighters to UAE”.
Having referred to the visit of the French President to Riyadh during which a contract to sell weapons valued $ 23 billion was signed between French President Macron and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammad Ben Salman, and said:” in the course of the visit, 12 contracts were signed among French and Saudi companies including EDF, as specialist of constructing the new generation of nuclear power plants. The contract is within the framework of 2030 Vision of Mohammad Bin Salman to modernize Saudi Arabia”.
He added:” regardless of blatant role of Saudi Arabia and UAE in continuous bombardments of innocent civilians, particularly Yemeni women and children signing of these contracts is considered in a way as involvement in war crimes committed in Yemen and clearly shows a double standard and discriminating approach of French government against human rights of which it claims to be a supporter. They should respond to the French as well as the world public opinion and they should assume the responsibility of its consequences”.
The expert of international issues believes that the stride taken by France to exploit the lavish spending of the Persian Gulf countries is made, in fact, after the dispute between France on one side and the U.S., the U.K. from the other side was surfaced. He explained in this respect:” The U.K. and the U.S. pressed Australia to cancel its contract to buy 14 nuclear class French made submarines. According to the contract, France was supposed to sell 14 nuclear submarines valued at $ 35 billion to Australia, but under Washington and London pressures, and under the pretext that French made submarines are not friendly compatible with Australia’s peripheral, the country canceled unilaterally the contract”.
According to the expert, the cancellation of the contract inflicted a major blow to the French fragile economy; because the country was suffering from an unprecedented economic recession due to the spread of Corona virus within the past two years.
He also said in such a situation, Macron tries to follow the policies of General De Gaulle, the late French president of WWII and during 1950s and 1960s who had disputes with England over the division of the spoils of war, then he inclined towards the Middle East and North of Africa, Macron wants to copy him to reduce the U.K. and the U.S. influence in the West Asia.
In another part of the interview Hani Zade dealt with the relations of the U.S. under Biden with Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, particularly Saudi Arabia and referred to the point that due to the negative approach of Biden’s team towards some Arab countries of the Persian Gulf region, the relations of these countries with Washington have been downgraded; because the U.S. is pessimist about the human rights situation in some Arab countries of the Persian Gulf and also in connection with ambitious policies of Mohammad Bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince inside the country and at regional level.
The expert of the West Asia affairs believes although the French President managed to sign ambitious military contracts with UAE and Saudi Arabia and made a lucrative business but ultimately the U.S. will take a severe revenge from UAE and Saudi Arabia in due time and place, and will not let France to be benefitted alone from the lavish scale deal with rich countries of the Persian Gulf.
He emphasized:” this is not incidental that the ballistic missiles of Yemeni army could easily evade from six layers of the U.S. anti-missile Patriot systems around UAE and targeted Abu Dhabi, the political capital of the UAE”.
Having referred to the recent developments of the region and boosting joint Saudi Arabia and UAE attacks against defenseless people of Yemen and France’s all out support to these attacks, he continued to say:” Contrary to its purports to defend human rights and respect to humankind rights, France prefers its financial interests over human dignity”.
He underscored:” the response of Yemeni army to crimes committed by UAE against the citizens of Al-Hudaydah, Sana’a, Taizz, Al-Jawf and Shabwe which was carried out with launching a few Yemeni missiles to Abu Dhabi, was immediately faced with tough reaction of Emmanuel Macron government; while France had kept silence during the recent weeks on the slaughtering of Yemeni people”.
Hani Zade continued to deal with the Qatari attitude versus Elise policies and explained:” in his visit to Qatar, Emmanuel Macron did not succeed to convince Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the young Emir of Qatar to sign Agreement on Weaponry Cooperation; because Qatar does not intend to leave the U.S. military supporting umbrella”.
He elaborated:” the young Qatari Emir knows well he should keep cautious as far as military cooperation with France is concerned in order to keep Qatari position unharmed before the U.S. Administration. In the course of the recent visit of Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad, Qatari Emir to Washington, Joe Biden defined Qatari government as the strategic partner of the United States of America”.
The expert ultimately said:” in legal terms as well as the internal laws of the United State, the definition is of great importance; because the definition in fact, will promote the U.S. military, security, political and economic cooperation with Qatar to the highest level; in a way that the U.S. President can extend cooperation with Qatar to all areas without referring to the Congress”.
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