Sarkozy to seal major deals for French firms in Kazakhstan

French President Nicolas Sarkozy leads a high-powered business
delegation to Kazakhstan on Tuesday to seal a string of lucrative
deals on Caspian oil and gas, satellite technology and defence. The
contracts worth several billion euros in total will be the crowning
moment to France' s two-year diplomatic drive to upgrade economic
ties and give French businesses a major stake in the Central Asian
giant's energy boom. A French presidential aide said Sarkozy's visit
to Kazakhstan will "strengthen the economic partnership in a very
concrete manner" with the signing of deals. Oil giant Total and GDF
Suez are to formalise a venture worth one billion euros (1.5 billion
dollars) to develop the Khvalynkskoye gas field in the Caspian Sea,
said the aide who asked not to be named. Kazakhstan is set to
announce on Tuesday the awarding of a contract worth up to 1.2
billion euros to the Spie Capag consortium, owned by construction
giant Vinci, to build a pipeline for the Kashagan oil field. The
pipeline would bypass Russia and allow deliveries directly to Europe.
Kazakhstan has long been courted by Western governments for its
energy wealth and also as an alternative supplier to Russia, the
source for 25 percent of the gas sold to European Union countries.