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French, Eritrean Navies Begin A Cooperation Programme

Addis Tribune (Addis Ababa)
NEWS
November 5, 2004
Posted to the web November 12, 2004

The French and Eritrean navies have begun a cooperation programme, a top French
navy commander said Tuesday.
"We are at the very beginning of our cooperation... Before, we weren't very
present in the Red Sea," the commander of the French navy in the Red Sea and
the Indian Ocean, Vice Admiral Xavier Rolin, told a news conference in Asmara.
"The first field of cooperation will concern the security of military divers,
because the Eritrean team lacks training," he said.
"In 2005, three French minesweepers will come to Eritrea," he added.
The command and supply vessel captained by Rolin, La Marne, was Tuesday docked
in the Eritrean port of Massawa.
The French navy is part of the US-led anti-terrorist operation, "Enduring
Freedom", which was launched after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
"We check suspect ships. Sometimes we find drugs and armaments, but not very
often. We have never discovered a clear link with terrorism. Terrorists use the
sea very little. These checks have a good deterrent effect," he said.
In another development the African Development Fund (ADF) has approved a loan
of USD 20.38 million to strengthen human capacity building through the
provision of quality education

   

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