RIYADH, 14 July — French exports to the Kingdom stood at 412 million euros in the first quarter of this year — up by 10 percent over the corresponding period of last year.
This was disclosed to Arab News by French Ambassador Bernard Poletti on the occasion of his country’s National Day today. The ambassador is hosting a reception at his residence to mark the occasion.
Describing Saudi-French relations as "strong and privileged", the ambassador said the foundation of these ties was laid during the historic meeting between President Charles de Gaulle and King Faisal during the 1960s. Since then, their bilateral relations have flourished and reached a stage when the two-way trade stood at 3.9 billion euros last year.
French exports were valued at 1.5 billion euros, while its imports from the Kingdom stood at 2.4 billion euros.The balance of trade was in the Kingdom’s favor. The major items of export were dairy, poultry, computer equipment, pharmaceuticals, perfumery and barley. Together, they constituted 30 percent of the overall French exports. Oil and petrochemicals were the principal imports from the Kingdom.
The ambassador said 70 Saudi-French joint ventures had either been set up or licensed. French companies were also interested in investing in the oil sector, with TotalFinaElf playing an important role in the gas exploration program. Other areas of interest to French firms were water desalination, training, electricity, air and ground transportation, including the railroad project.
"French firms would like to promote joint ventures in these fields as it will lead to a transfer of technology and promote Saudization of jobs. The new investment code developed by SAGIA has created a favorable climate for the investors," the ambassador said, adding that France was already the fourth largest investor in the Kingdom and the sixth largest trading partner with four to five percent of its market share.
These bilateral relations are set for a major boost with the signing of the recent landmark agreement between Minister of Finance and National Economy Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf and French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin. It provides for legal protection to investments in both countries, the ambassador said.
Referring to the Middle East, Ambassador Poletti said the French position is identical to that of the Kingdom. It is in favor of an independent state of Palestine with secure and recognized borders on the basis of the borders as they existed in 1967.
" We believe there should be an end to Israeli occupation and negotiations ought to resume on the basis of the UN resolutions and building on the Arab peace initiative of Prince Abdullah, the regent. At the same time, there should be an end to terrorism and loss of innocent lives on both sides. Peace process should not be held hostage to violence and terrorism. An international conference would be helpful to give an impetus to the peace process," the ambassador said.
He said France as a member of the EU also supports creation of the sovereign state of Palestine existing side by side with Israel, whose security concerns must also be addressed. It is in favor of continuing dialogue with Israel for promoting the peace process.
The following were the other points that emerged during the interview.
Quartet meeting: France supports the Quartet talks due to be held in New York on Tuesday. The next meeting between the Quartet ( involving the US, EU, UN and Russia) and the Arab states is important, as it will deal with the revival of the peace process and the mechanism for the creation of a Palestinian state.
French stand on Yasser Arafat: France believes that only the Palestinian people have the right to choose their own leader. Yasser Arafat is the elected representative of the Palestinians, who alone can determine the choice of their new leader in the coming elections.
