Three French minesweepers dock in Kuwait

Three French minesweepers dock in Kuwait By Eman Al-Awadhi (with photos) KUWAIT, April 11 (KUNA) -- Three French navy minesweepers docked in Kuwait on Wednesday to engage in clearance diving training with the Kuwaiti navy, following which they will take part in a multi-national exercise headed by the US navy in Bahrain, said Commander of the Navy Task Group Pierre Leterme.
Speaking at a press conference, the commander said, "The French and Kuwaiti navies have tight links, and Kuwaiti mine clearance divers are our brother in arms." He explained that every two years, French ships were deployed on a four-month mission to the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf to engage in cooperation activities with countries of the region in general.
The last mining clearance exercise held between the two navies took place in 2005. The three ships deployed this year are the Loire, Perse, and the Sagitaire.
He said Loire, which had had two Kuwaiti officers on board since last January, was a communications, repair and replenishing vessel, while the other two vessels were minesweepers equipped with sonar that could detect and classify objects on the sea bed.
He said there were a total of 270 French navy personnel on board the three vessels, which had already been to Djibouti, Karachi, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, and Doha before coming to Kuwait. They will stay here until April 17.
Asked what kind of training the French navy would be exercising while in Kuwait, Leterme said, "We will engage in clearance diving exercises with our Kuwaiti counterparts, execute maneuvers and communication exercises, as well as training on beaches." "This deployment was planned one year ago and the timing was chosen to coincide with the multi-national exercise in Bahrain, and is in no way linked to regional developments and circumstances," the commander stressed.
Kuwait and France signed a military cooperation agreement 15 years ago upon which some 50 to 70 young Kuwaiti navy personnel studied in France every year, he said, stressing that this was a "technical exercise that demonstrates the strong cooperation with the Kuwaiti navy." He also mentioned the de-mining of Gulf waters following the liberation of Kuwait of the Iraqi seven-month occupation in 1991, saying that many French ships took part in the mission that lasted almost 14 months. Mines are still being found in the northern Gulf waters today.
Moreover, Leterme noted France's Pearl of the West naval exercise that took place every four years, saying the next would take place in 2009 and in Kuwait, it would be at the level of the navies and not the joint forces.
As for the multi-national naval exercise in Bahrain in which the three French vessels will take part later this month, the commander explained that it was conducted by the US navy every two years.
This year, countries participating with ships included the US, France, the UK, Pakistan, and Kuwait, while some of the observers were Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, and the UAE. (end) ema KUNA 112044 Apr 07NNNN