The 7th IISS Manama Dialogue is now
concluded, and we can be confident that it has been an enormous success. I think there are a number of things that
make this Manama Dialogue process and this particular summit unique. Firstly, this is not a place at which delegation
leaders simply repeat known government positions. At this dialogue, we have witnessed genuinely
new impulses given to the search for regional peace and security. Policy statements have been largely precise,
not obfuscated by the fog of diplomatic formulation, but sharpened by very
clear language and direct appeals for commitment to new initiatives and
effective dialogue.
Secondly,
this is not a place where half the time is taken up by government delegations
meeting with each other, finalising the wording of a communiqué; all the time
is devoted to exchanges between official delegations, aimed at practical
outcomes. I can confirm, from the
bookings of bilateral rooms made by the IISS alone in these last 72 hours,
leaving aside the efforts made independently by the delegations gathered here,
that the number of bilateral meetings held here was several times more than in
previous years. Indeed, well over 100
separate bilateral meetings were held, meaning that the habits of organised
diplomacy and practical action, here at the Manama Dialogue, are now
entrenched. The public statements here
prove that the Manama Dialogue is being used to launch new policy
prescriptions. The number of private
meetings are evidence that serious discreet diplomacy is being undertaken to
take ideas forward.
Thirdly, it is clear that this summit held in Manama demonstrates that this
region can be the anchor for wider regional diplomacy, and that the countries
of the Gulf can act as diplomatic connectors and catalysts for the adjacent
countries and states from farther afield.
Fourthly, the fact that delegations are drawn from, and will continue to be
composed of, a mix of foreign ministers, defence ministers, national security
advisors, and defence and intelligence chiefs means that bilateral meetings can
take place between those who cut across the bureaucratic divides of foreign and
defence ministries, ensuring that really wide‑ranging security discussions can
take place, unconstrained by the walls that exist between formal government
departments in each of our countries.
This informal mix of national security establishments of the region and
beyond is what we think gives special vibrancy to the Manama Dialogue.
As
promised, the IISS, an organisation the core mission of which is the provision
of objective facts and independent analysis on international strategy, will be
taking up several of the issues raised at this meeting in its work. We will be publishing IISS analysis flowing
from the policy ideas mooted here in English and in Arabic, and will be
distributing this work widely. We are
now in consultations with each of the countries represented here to ensure our
research is relevant to current concerns and needs, and to seek further
collaborations with research organisations represented at this table and in
this room. Cyber security will be one of
those issues on which the IISS is already taking a leading role in the debate,
and we hope soon to be publishing in both of the languages mentioned on this
issue.
All delegation heads who I have spoken to have confirmed that they wish to be
here next year, and make every effort to stay throughout. We have received several messages from a few
national leaders who could not be present with us this weekend, saying and
insisting that they will be with us here next year. Tomorrow we will start working on the 2011
Manama Dialogue already, which will most likely be held in the second week of
December 2011. As soon as the dates are
set, we will be in contact with you all.
For the moment, let me do three things.
Firstly, I want, and I hope all of you will join me, to thank His
Majesty King Hamad and His Royal Highness Prince Salman for the Kingdom’s
tremendous support to this dialogue and the greatest hospitality provided
here. I should also like to thank all
the agencies of the Bahraini government for the support that they have provided
and, in particular, the leadership of Foreign Minister Sh Khalid Bin Ahmed and
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaborating so seamlessly with the IISS
in this joint effort.
Secondly, I should say that this has been the largest Manama Dialogue effort
ever, and that there have been 600 individuals badged to attend this
conference. I want to take
90 seconds to list the names of the people who have supported this effort:
at the IISS, Mark Allworthy, Katy Shrimpton, Eleanor Pitt, Kay Floyd, Elly
Jupp, Lydia Rochelle, Neil Goodman, Celis Joannes, Stuart Newton, Richard
Saunders, Kelly Signorelli-Chaplin, James Howarth, Becca Wasser, Sarah
Grant, Mariam Thomas, Praveen Thote, Nisrene Jafar, Fatima Al‑Hassan, Seventeen
people for 600 people, that is a good tooth‑to‑tail ratio, any military
commander would say. Can you please
thank them all?
Thirdly
and finally, I want to congratulate all the national delegations and the other
participants for the seriousness with which they have engaged in this
summit. I want to thank you all. This is your Manama Dialogue. Let us work throughout the next year and see
you again in December 2011.
