Britain and France agree to fast track military command centre plans

The pair want to put in place the rapidly deployable headquarters following joint working in Libya.

At a UK-France summit in Paris today, the two leaders also agreed to push ahead with the next phase of plans to build a new generation of pilotless “fighter drone” aircraft.

Speaking alongside Mr Sarkozy at a press conference in the Elysee Palace, Mr Cameron said: “I don’t think that there has been closer French-British co-operation at any time since the Second World War, not just in Libya but also on the vital issues of Syria, Iran, Somalia and defence co-operation.”

The “real and substantial” co-operation on defence discussed today will cover not only the new command centre and drone production, but also nuclear weapons, said the Prime Minister.

“The defence co-operation is real, it is substantial, it is going to make a big difference to the military capabilities of both Britain and France,” he said.

“We are similar-sized powers, with similar-sized armed forces, with similar ambitions.

“It is partly about new capacity - the investment that we are going to make in a drone programme. It is also about making the most of our existing capacity, as we will be combining and using it together. It is also about operational capacity and ability to take action together.

“And it also covers the most sensitive defence areas of all, including of course the nuclear issue.”

Mr Cameron added: “It is, I think, a real breakthrough that we have made over the last two years and we are determined to keep pushing this forward.”

Mr Cameron said there were “differences” but there had also been “extremely strong” economic co-operation between the two countries, while both the British and French governments were sharing the “most sensitive dossiers” on nuclear defence.

The deal between Rolls-Royce and Areva would see 1,500 new jobs in the UK and £100 million invested across the South West and a new factory in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

The factory will produce components for the first new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset, as part of a £400 million deal with French energy giant Areva, supporting 600 jobs in the company and 600 in its supply chain.

Mr Cameron said: “I think when you look at the detail of what we are doing on the economy, you can see two companies working together, two countries that want to see growth, that want to see success and are committed to a very strong relationship.”

He added he wished Mr Sarkozy well on the campaign trail ahead of the French elections.

Mr Cameron added: “The strength of a relationship is when you can have disagreements but actually go on working together on all the areas where you agree.

“If you look at the detail of what Britain and France are doing together on defence co-operation, not just building new drones together but co-operating on the most sensitive dossiers of all, including nuclear, I think that demonstrates an incredibly strong relationship based on our countries’ shared interests.”

Today’s summit comes on the first anniversary of the outbreak of the uprising in Libya which eventually led to the toppling of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, with the help of an international military force in which the UK and France played leading roles.

Mr Cameron paid warm tribute to his host’s role in the diplomatic and military effort to defend the Libyan people against the Gaddafi regime, saying he was “absolutely convinced that, were it not for the leadership of Nicolas Sarkozy, we would not have now in Libya people who are free to choose their own future”.

The Prime Minister and Mr Sarkozy said Britain and France would continue to co-operate on the current crisis in Syria and offer their support to the Friends of Syria group, which has its first meeting in Tunisia next week.

Mr Cameron announced that Britain is sending food rations to help 20,000 people in Syria, while Mr Sarkozy denounced President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on protests against his regime as “scandalous”.

Mr Sarkozy said the UK and France share “a common determination to ensure that democracies are not strangled by dictatorships” around the world.

Both men acknowledged that they have had differences in recent months over the European Union, notably when Mr Cameron vetoed a new treaty to stabilise the eurozone in December.

But Mr Sarkozy insisted “there are more convergences than divergences”.

And he said he wanted to ensure that euro members take account of the UK’s concerns over the impact of greater financial co-ordination on the EU’s single market, while Britain would show more understanding for the eurozone’s need to act swiftly to resolve its problems.

“I have always been of the view that Europe needs Britain, and, together with David Cameron, we are putting together working methods whereby we are going to understand one another’s red lines and come up with a greater degree of convergence,” said Mr Sarkozy.

Today’s summit is one of the last opportunities for the two men to meet before the French presidential elections on April 22, which polls suggest Mr Sarkozy may well lose.

Offering his fellow centre-right leader his backing, Mr Cameron said: “(The summit) has given me the chance to wish my friend well in the battle he has ahead.”

Mr Sarkozy said today’s agreements on nuclear co-operation built on the UK-French treaty signed at Lancaster House in London in 2010, which set out plans for a shared aircraft carrier group, joint expeditionary force and the development of joint nuclear testing facilities.

“France and Britain have opted for a strategic choice, which is nuclear energy,” said the President.

“Our co-operation couldn’t be better and we are going to further develop it, both in terms of civil energy and, following in the footsteps of the Lancaster House treaty, military nuclear co-operation.”

Mr Sarkozy also offered warm praise for Mr Cameron’s leadership in the Libyan crisis.

“I speak from the heart when I say that I wish to pay tribute to the courage of the British Prime Minister when it came to tackling the Libyan crisis,” he said.

“David Cameron, as of the very first second, was convinced - as I was - that we needed to act and that we could not leave a dictator with blood on his hands to continue to martyr his people.”

Mr Cameron added: “I believe it is a relationship that is easily strong enough to survive the odd bump or bounce that we sometimes have when we have a disagreement. That is what politicians do and it is what friends do as well.”

But he joked that, while he admired Mr Sarkozy’s courage, he was not sure he could benefit the French president’s bid for re-election.

Mr Sarkozy said he was a “great believer in the importance of the United Kingdom”, telling the press conference he knew where Mr Cameron’s “red lines” were drawn on particular issues.

He also defended Mr Cameron’s decision not to commit the UK to a new Euro treaty back in December, saying that he may have done the same thing had he been in his position.

Mr Sarkozy added: “We have had divergences of views but perhaps, had I been in David Cameron’s position, I would defended Britain’s interests in exactly the same way as he has.

“What I can tell you is that there has never been a personal opposition between us. A head of state is there precisely to defend the interests of his nation, to lead others to understand how vital those interests are.”

The UK and France had united behind the need for military action in Libya when there were not many countries in favour of intervening with force, he added.

EDF said today’s agreements signalled further progress towards its plans to build up to four new nuclear plants in the UK with its partner Centrica.

Agreements signed today included a £100 million-plus contract with Kier/BAM Nuttall for site preparation work to start in the spring at Hinkley Point and a £15 million pledge to create a training centre for future nuclear engineers at nearby Bridgwater College.

A memorandum of understanding was signed with French energy giant Areva on the timeframe for completing a contract to deliver the nuclear steam supply system and central instrumentation and control systems for the Hinkley Point C project.

EDF Group president Henri Proglio said: “The Franco-British Agreement reached today will be a catalyst for further collaboration which will result in significant economic activity for both nations and provide an important boost to the nuclear industry in the UK and France.

“It shows our collective and unwavering commitment to safety, skills, research and development and international co-operation.

“The agreements signed today will help create opportunities in both nations in these difficult economic times. I hope 2012 will see ever closer ties as we take forward our work on nuclear.”

EDF said the Hinkley Point C project could employ up to 25,000 people over the course of construction, with 5,600 people on site at its peak.

Mr Cameron said the situation in Syria was “appalling” but added that it was not the same as it was in Libya where the UK had led military intervention.

The Assad regime was “butchering and murdering” its own people, he said, in what was a “horrific” crackdown on the civilian population.

Mr Cameron said the world had to act “as decisively as it can” against the Syrian government without a United Nations resolution.

“We need to take all the action we can to put the maximum pressure on Assad to go and to stop the butchery that is taking place,” he said.

“I want us to go on working, to go on thinking, to go on combining with our allies and go on asking ourselves what more can we do to try and help transition take place in this country so we can get rid of this brutal dictator and give the Syrian people a chance of peace and stability in the future.

“I am not satisfied that we are taking all the action we need to but it is difficult, it is complicated, and we need to work very hard with our friends, allies and neighbours in the region to make sure we can do everything we can.”

Mr Sarkozy said sanctions needed to be strengthened against the Assad regime, while at the same time backing opposition to the government.

But the revolution had to come from the Syrian people. The revolution “could not come from the outside”, it had to “come from within”, he added.

Mr Sarkozy also praised the Queen in her Diamond Jubilee year, telling the press conference he had “fond memories” of his state visit in 2008.

He said he admired the British defence of the City of London, adding: “Perhaps there is a common point we share with the British - that pride we take in our legacy and our history that makes us so special even though we must always embrace modernity.”

Mr Cameron said the British and France had similar-sized military ambitions while also having “reasonable budgets”, adding that there were opportunities for other countries to contribute to joint projects.

Mr Sarkozy agreed that other countries might want to co-operate, saying the “door is open”.

He added: “If other countries want to come in and help us shoulder the financial burden, they will be more than welcome.

“However, David and I agree that we need to be realistic and pragmatic about this and move forward. Others are welcome if they move at the same pace as we do.”