Press Coverage 2005

Key statement on security to be made US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley will use the Manama Dialogue 2006 this month to make a key statement on the US security strategy in the Arabian Gulf, organisers of the event have said. The major regional security meeting is organised by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) at a time when the Bush administration is trying to bring GCC and Arab countries into a new security alliance to contain Iran's growing influence and stem any spillover of...
Gulf makes strategic shift in new system From now on, we will protect our national interests, regardless of where America’s interests lie in the region.” Similarly but more diplomatically, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal told the Gulf Dialogue meeting in Bahrain in December 2004 that guarantees for Gulf security cannot be provided unilaterally “even by the only superpower in the world” but that the region required guarantees “provided by the collective will of the international community.” In...
Gulf States Rethink US-Led Security Alliance At the 2004 Gulf Dialogue in Bahrain, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal declared that there was urgent need "for a collective effort aimed at developing a new and more solid framework for Gulf security". In the Saudi Minister's view, the security arrangement would go beyond the Gulf Cooperation Council states and include "a prosperous Yemen, a stable Iraq, and a friendly Iran", and be underpinned by guarantees provided by the international community as a whole rather...
Regional security 'is vital to world peace' Dr Abdul Ghaffar quoted from His Majesty King Hamad's address at the Second Gulf Dialogue in December 2005 where the King said that for the world to be free, it had to be secure and stable. The Minister also referred to the King's statement that comprehensive stability in the region was the best way to ensure global energy supplies.
Critical year for security Where does this leave us? The region requires a different approach and it needs this fast. A good starting point would be the speech delivered by Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal during the 2004 Gulf Dialogue in Bahrain, which unfortunately did not receive sufficient attention at the time. Pointing out that there is an urgent need "for a collective effort aimed at developing a new and more solid framework for Gulf security," he called on that framework to be based on...
The Mideast's Battle of Ideas This contemporary East is dominated by China and India. West means Britain, France and the United States. And the Middle East is a battle zone of ideas, religions, oil and a cultural use of tribal violence that is now projected onto the global stage. But increased interdependence -- whether forged by trade or by mutual bloodshed -- does not a unified globe make. Disconnects and divergences were on display from the moment the two-day conference on security and terrorism in the Gulf region began.
Der Irak und Iran Von dieser Entwicklung fühlen sich besonders die im Golf-Kooperationsrat organisierten Staaten (Saudi-Arabien, Kuweit, Qatar, die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, Bahrein und Oman) bedroht, die trotz ihres Reichtums weder die militärischen Mittel noch - mit Ausnahme Saudi-Arabiens - die strategische Tiefe haben, um sich selbst zu verteidigen. Dem renommierten Londoner "Internationalen Institut für Strategische Studien" (IISS) ist es nun zum zweiten Mal gelungen, in...
Wolves in the Gulf That was the consensus I heard expressed by Gulf Arab leaders, intellectuals, senior military officers and national security officials who gathered here last weekend to compare notes with each other and their Western counterparts. They quickly agreed that both the severity and proximity of the existential threat they face have changed dramatically.They could hardly do otherwise. The bomb blasts in nearby Iraq reverberated through two days of speeches and informal exchanges organized by the...
Alliot-Marie vante la défense européenne MÊME sur les terres de toutes les ambitions géopolitiques et énergétiques, il ne doit pas y avoir de « chasse gardée » en matière de sécurité. C'est en substance le message que Michèle Alliot-Marie a fait passer dans le Golfe ce week-end. A Bahreïn, lors d'un colloque sur la sécurité dans le Golfe organisé par l'Institut international d'études stratégiques de Londres (IISS), le ministre français de la...
Envoy lambasts terror backers Countries which harbour or sponsor terrorists must be brought to book, a top Indian official declared in Bahrain yesterday. Security in Iraq and this region is also a global issue, said Indian Prime Minister's Special Envoy to the Middle East C R Gharekhan. He was speaking on Regional Security and International Co-operation at the second Gulf Security Conference in Bahrain.
Gulf region security vital to India India has said the security of the Gulf countries as well as of the wider Middle East is of "paramount concern" to the country and it is ready to contribute to the stability of the region by sharing its experience in combating terrorism. "Security in Iraq and this region is a global issue and we are ready to contribute to the security and stability of this region in any manner feasible," India's Special Envoy to the Middle East Chinmaya Gharekhan said speaking on regional...
Tehran issues mixed message over talks But Mohammad-Reza Bagheri, deputy foreign minister, said that while "the general instructions are not to talk to Americans", Tehran could consider the US initiative. "We'll think about it," he said, after giving a speech to the Gulf Dialogue, a conference in Bahrain organised by London's International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Forum 'a boost for security' Britain yesterday said an international defence conference held in Bahrain could further strengthen security in the region. British Secretary of State for Defence John Reid said the International Institute for Strategic Studies' (IISS) Gulf Dialogue conference was a vital opportunity to develop co-ordination on security issues.
Iran, Iraq reiterate expansion of relations Iran Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab-African Affairs Mohammad Reza Baqeri met Saturday with Iraqi Deputy President Ghazi Al-Yawar on the sidelines of a Persian Gulf security conference held in Bahrain. Iranian embassy in Manama reported that the Iraqi official expressed his country's resolve to bolster ties with all of its neighbors, including Iran.
Qatar urges unity to fight terrorism Shaikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, Qatar's foreign minister, has called on Gulf Cooperation Countries to do more in their fight against terrorism-tainted extremism. Addressing the second session of the Gulf Security Dialogue forum in Bahrain on Saturday, Shaikh Hamad, also the first deputy prime minister, said: "GCC countries, which have generally scored successes on the security level ... may still have a long way to go."
New Europe role in Gulf urged French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie yesterday called for a strategic co-operation between Europe and the Gulf on security matters. "I am convinced that the time has come to go up a level in our co-operation," she said at the start of a forum organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies think-tank in Manama.
Peace Vision His Majesty King Hamad yesterday urged a common vision to defeat terrorism. Regional stability is the only way to protect oil supplies - and ensure freedom, tolerance and security. He told heads of delegations taking part in the second Gulf security conference 'Gulf Dialogue' that Bahrain has always been a land of peaceful co-existence and free thought.
India backs war on terror India is offering its support to Gulf countries in their efforts to combat terrorism, a visiting government official said yesterday. "India is happy to join hands with the Gulf region along with other countries to fight terrorism which threatens the region's security," said Indian Prime Minister's Special Envoy to the Middle East C R Gharekhan. He is heading a security delegation taking part in the second Gulf Security Conference, organised by the International Institute for Strategic...
Singapore calls for Asia-Mideast cooperation Middle East and Asian nations should pool their resources to address radicalization, which leads to religious extremism and terrorism. Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar made this point in a speech at the 2005 Gulf Dialogue here yesterday, saying: "Both Asia and the Gulf face a common security threat - international terrorism. And it can only be defeated through our common efforts."
Message submitted to the Crown Prince Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab- African Affairs Mohammad-Reza Baqeri, who is on a visit to Manama to attend a regional conference on Persian Gulf Security, met here Saturday with Bahraini Crown Prince Sheikh Salman ben Hamad al-Khalifa and submitted the First Vice-President Davoudi's message to him.