French defence minister visits UAE over IS threat
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday for talks expected to focus on the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants, a diplomatic source said.
Since September last year, French warplanes based at Al-Dhafra airbase near Abu Dhabi have been flying missions targeting IS positions in Iraq.
Last week, Le Drian said France would also launch air strikes against IS in Syria "in the coming weeks".
On Sunday, he reportedly went straight into talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, deputy chief of the UAE armed forces.
Their discussions were also expected to centre on Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition in which the UAE is a member has waged an air campaign since March against the Houthis.
Le Drian visited the UAE in May and in July, following the signing of an agreement on military cooperation between the Emirates and France earlier this year.
In early September, a missile strike on a coalition base in Yemen's Marib province killed 67 coalition soldiers, including 52 from the UAE.
On Monday, Le Drian is expected to visit Qatar.
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