The President of the United Arab Emirates ended a two day visit to France on Friday (4 July) with the announcement that the two countries are drawing considerably closer.

Sheikh Zaid Bin Sultan said he had agreed with French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing to cooperate in all fields... industrial, technological, financial, and cultural. French officials say they expect the U.A.E. to set up an office in Paris shortly to boost its investments in France.

It was the first visit by the Sheikh to France, and it was expected he would discuss methods of renewing stalled talks between the oil-consuming and oil-producing nations. Talks in April between the two groups deadlocked when the United States and other consumer nations refused to include raw materials than oil on the agenda.