Khalaf Al Habtoor, the Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group, held a meeting with the French politician Alain Marsaud on November 21, 2011, to discuss the situation of French nationals living in the UAE.
The meeting took place at the Al Habtoor head office on Al Wasl Road, Dubai. It was the first time the two men had met.
Alain Marsaud is a member of the Union for Popular Movement (UMP) and the party representative in the 2012 parliamentary elections for French nationals living abroad in 49 nations, including the UAE, South Africa and the Indian Ocean.
He’s also the Counsel General of the Haute-Vienne Limoges Township Centre and the President of the UMP Federation of Haute-Vienne.
He’s the former Co-Managing Director of ‘Compagnie Générale des Eaux’ which later became Vivendi and was also head of the Central Counter-Terrorism division to the Public Prosecutor of Paris in the 1980s.
Khalaf Al Habtoor commented after the meeting: “I’m delighted to have met with Mr Marsaud. I firmly believe that diversity is our strength in the UAE and I’m aware of the important contribution of the French population living here.
“The UAE and France have long enjoyed a good relationship. I believe it’s important that we endeavour to maintain it and to make its people welcome in our country.”
Also present at that meeting were Mohammed Al Habtoor, the Vice- Chairman and CEO of the Al Habtoor Group, as well as Amélie Zegmout, the Key Accounts and Projects Manager for the Middle East at ‘Le Grand’ Company.