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"France in military talks with EU Partner Cyprus - will the French start supporting Lebanon from Cyprus?
By Jean Christou
CYPRUS AND France are close to signing a bilateral military agreement that would involve cooperation in a number of areas, including use by the French of the Andreas Papandreou air base in Paphos.
Technical details are still being worked out between the two governments. The issue was part of discussions held on Sunday between French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie and President Tassos Papadopoulos when she visited the island with a message from French President Jacques Chirac.
Final details are expected to be worked out by the autumn when the Defence and Foreign Ministers of both countries will likely sign jointly. However the final draft must first be studied by the legal services in both countries in cooperation with their respective foreign ministries.
The military cooperation agreement is set to include use of military facilities, technical support, and education and training of national guardsmen in France.
It could also include joint military exercises, according to an official source close to the talks. “But there is still some technical work to be done before the agreement can be signed,” said the source."
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