IISS 2008 Regional Security Summit Press Coverage
- 13 Dec 2008 - - Bloomberg - Iraqi Economy Faces ‘Difficult’ 2010 on Oil’s Drop, Saleh Says
Iraq’s economy has been hit by plummeting oil prices and 2010 will be a “difficult” year for balancing the budget, Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh said.
“The decline in oil prices has serious implications on the Iraqi economy,” Saleh said during a security conference in Bahrain today. “This has impacted our budget.”
- 13 Dec 2008 - - Bloomberg - Gates Calls for Action Against Somali Pirates
“Under the United Nations Security Council resolution passed last week, members of the international community must work together to aggressively pursue and deter piracy,” Gates said at a security conference in Bahrain today.
- 13 Dec 2008 - - BBC News - How do you tackle piracy?
On the tranquil island state of Bahrain, home to the headquarters of the US Navy's powerful 5th Fleet, defence ministers, admirals and officials from 25 countries have gathered to discuss, amongst other regional problems, the thorny issue of Somali pirates.
- 13 Dec 2008 - - BBC News - Indian navy 'captures 23 pirates'
Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said better intelligence was needed for a land attack on pirate bases to be considered.
Mr Gates, speaking at a security conference in Bahrain, also called for shipping companies to do more to protect their vessels travelling through the Arabian Sean and Indian Ocean.
- 13 Dec 2008 - - Agence France Presse - Gates, Iranian MP to attend security meeting in Bahrain
Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa, Bahrain's foreign minister, renewed a proposal for a new organisation to include all countries in the region "without exception" to discuss and settle common problems.
- 13 Dec 2008 - - Associated Press - Gates asks Middle East to help fight terror spread
On Iran, his speech struck a more reserved tone this year, compared with his sharper criticism in remarks here last year of Tehran as a chaotic and destabilizing threat. He and others have rebuked Iran for helping bolster militants who then cross the border back in to Iraq. Officials have long believed that Iran _ at some level _ has provided funding and training to insurgents, and supported the delivery of lethal explosives to Iraq.
On Saturday, Gates pressed Gulf nations to impose sanctions on Iran bu