RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Interior ministers of Saudi Arabia and France have signed a security agreement to combat terrorism, the official news agency reported Monday, amid the European country's efforts to take a higher profile in the Middle East.
Saudi Interior Minster Prince Nayef bin Abdel Aziz and visiting French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie signed the agreement after brief discussions Sunday night, the Saudi News Agency reported.
"Our views on fighting terrorism are identical," SPA quoted Prince Nayef as saying.
France has long-standing military cooperation accords with other countries in the Persian Gulf region, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar and a little over a month after becoming one of the first Western countries other than the U.S. to have a base in the Persian Gulf region. France began large-scale military exercises off Iran's coast with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The planned permanent French base in the Emirates will host 500 troops and will give Paris the ability to project its forces into a crucial oil-producing region where many countries are wary of Iran's rising influence.
Prince Nayef did not disclose details about the Saudi agreement but said the two countries will cooperate in fighting drug trafficking and money laundering too.
Alliot-Marie described Saudi-French security cooperation as "tangible and fruitful," and is expected to meet with Saudi monarch King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan later Monday.
France's current military maneuvers are taking place within the Emirates and off its coast facing Iran. The exercises, dubbed Gulf Shield 01, began on Saturday and involve 1,500 troops from France, 2,500 from the Emirates and 1,300 from Qatar, according the French military's official Web site.
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