France to study building nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia

$12 billion worth of deals between France and Saudi announced

France said it would look into building two nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia, which is part of some $12 billion in deals announced Wednesday with the conservative kingdom.

Under one of the agreements Airbus will sell 23 h-145 multipurpose helicopters to Saudi Arabia for 500 million euros as well as launch a feasibility study into building the reactors, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.

A slew of deals worth billions of euros were announced following the first "Franco-Saudi Joint Commission" meeting in Paris, led by Fabius and Saudi Defence Minister Prince Mohamed bin Salman.

Fabius also mentioned the Saudi Arabian Airlines order for 50 Airbus passenger planes worth some $8 billion, first announced at last week's Paris Air Show.

The reactor study takes on added significance given the current efforts by Saudi Arabia's rival, Iran, to develop its own nuclear capabilities.

France has been reinforcing links with the conservative kingdom despite persistent criticism of its human rights record, while Riyadh is keen to broaden its ties with Western powers beyond its traditional alliance with the United States.

Salman was set to meet French President Francois Hollande later on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia has been under international pressure, including from Washington and Paris, to drop a sentence of 1,000 lashes for a renowned human rights activist and blogger.

The kingdom has also faced criticism over its use of the death penalty. According to an AFP count, Saudi Arabia executed 102 locals and foreigners in the year to mid-June, compared with 87 during all of 2014.