On 5-7 January 2004, the IISS hosted its Fourth IISS South Asia Security Conference on ‘New Threats, New Opportunities’ in Muscat, Oman, which was organised by IISS Research Fellow for South Asia Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, with support from the Non-Proliferation Programme.
Coinciding with the dramatic thaw in Indo–Pakistani relations at the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) Summit in Islamabad (4–6 January), the mood at the conference was optimistic, but cautious. The discussion ranged over the latest developments in South Asian security including nuclear weapons, policies to counter terrorism and opportunities for economic cooperation.
IISS South Asia Security Conference delegates included officials, military officers and policy analysts, who participated, along with UK, European, and US experts. They included Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK; Lieutenant-General V.G. Patankar, Indian Army (recently Corps Commander in Kashmir); and Brigadier Naeem Ahmad Salik, Director, Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs, Strategic Plans Division of the National Command Authority, Islamabad. Three former Chiefs of Defence Staff from the UK and Germany, General Lord Charles Guthrie (IISS Council Member), Field Marshal Lord Peter Inge and General Klaus Naumann (IISS Council Member) brought their considerable knowledge and expertise to bear on the proceedings. We were also fortunate to benefit from the participation of other IISS Council Members including François Heisbourg, Chairman of the IISS Council and Lieutenant-General Raghavan, Director of the Delhi Policy Group, New Delhi. The next IISS South Asia Security Conference is scheduled to be held in February 2006.
