DAKAR, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has said that he did not see the usefulness of his country hosting a French military base in the long run.

    "There are no prospects for any external aggression. It beats logic to even contemplate such a scenario," said Wade, before adding that "I do not see who would be interested in launching an attack against Senegal."

    "And regarding the agreements on the protection of the head of state or government, personally, I do not need such a provision. If it does exist, we must remove it. I am sufficiently protected by my army," said Wade, who was once touted as a strong regional French ally.

    Earlier in the week, President Wade had indicated that he was "ready to cancel the defense agreements signed between France and Senegal" within the context of the renegotiation of all military agreements involving France and Africa announced in February by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

    Speaking during an interview published by the weekly Le Nouvel Observateur magazine, the head of state had described Sarkozy's undertaking as "a very good thing."

    "There are agreements which provide for protection and intervention in case of an internal or external threat against a regime. These agreements are confidential. They must be tossed away, let's be clear over this," said the Senegalese president.

    Currently, some 9,000 French soldiers are deployed in Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Chad, the Central African Republic and Djibouti, said a military source, adding that the agreements also bound France and Togo as well as the Union of the Comoros.

    In accordance with the stipulations of a defense agreement signed between the France and Senegal in 1974, there are about 1,200 French soldiers permanently "pre-positioned" in Dakar.

    Commenting on the controversy generated by Wade's outburst, France's Secretary of State for Defense and Veteran Affairs Jean-Marie Bockel, who is in the country for an official visit, said that the two countries were generally in good terms.

    "Regarding Senegal, by the words of President Wade and the discussions that I have had with him, I understand that we are perfectly in a calm and friendly climate," said the junior defense minister.

    "This is a subject on which, I believe there are no difficulties between the two countries," said Bockel, who was part of distinguished guests at the Dakar celebrations.

    According to reliable sources, Francois Ponge, a senior roving French diplomat, was in Dakar Wednesday where he held discussions with Senegalese authorities regarding the renegotiation of defense agreements between the two countries.

    And in a move that left a lot to be desired, according to keen observers, the French diplomat left the country quietly after the discussions, having declined to grant any press interviews.