Press Coverage 2007

December 30th - - Sunday Times - That assassins strike killed the Wests foreign policy too "It appears that Russia has decided that there is no longer a political reason to hold up the provision of fuel," said Mark Fitzpatrick, nuclear expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. "An important factor was probably the continuation of the International Atomic Energy Agency's work with Iran on questions about its past activities. The recent report from US intelligence in the National Intelligence Estimate that Iran was not actively seeking a...
December 30th - - St Petersburg Times - Iraq's progress hard to define But even the police chief says Basra -- Iraq's main port and second-largest city -- is a lawless nightmare dominated by Shiite militias that are better armed than the security forces. Islamic radicals have killed or chased out most of the city's Christians. And in the past three months, more than 40 women have been murdered for such "un-Islamic" behavior as not covering their hair. "Basra is an awful mess," says Toby Dodge, an expert on Iraq at London's International...
December 30th - - Agence France Presse - Le terrorisme islamiste n'a pas désarmé en 2007 Dans son rapport annuel, le prestigieux International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) de Londres a estimé que "la menace du terrorisme islamiste reste plus importante que jamais et semble empirer". Al-Qaïda a gagné en "capacité de résistance et d'adaptation (...) Depuis six ans, les Etats-Unis et leurs alliés luttent pour éradiquer cette menace et il est de plus en plus clair qu'ils n'y ont pas réussi".
December 30th - - Hindustan Times - Snaring the N-Jihadi This thesis has been supported by a recent study of A.Q. Khan's nuclear black market operations by the International Institute for Strategic Studies and a book, The Nuclear Jihadist, by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins. Both conclude the fragmented nature of Pakistan's polity allowed Khan to sell nuclear secrets freely. "The diffusion of domestic political power among the troika of the President, Prime Minister and the Army Chief, obscured the command and control authority over the...
December 28th - - United News of Bangladesh - Climate change brings threats of war and terrorism In September, Britain's International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) predicted fears about stability are bound to rise to the top of the agenda. "The security dimension will come increasingly to the forefront as countries begin to see falls in available resources and economic vitality, increased stress on their armed forces, greater instability in regions of strategic import, increases in ethnic rivalries, and a widening gap between rich and poor," it said.
December 28th - - Asian Tribune - Commonwealth condemns Bhutto killing Five months ago Benazir Bhutto was in London and addressed the prestigious International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) on the "Future of Democracy in Pakistan" during which she said that Pakistan has become a "staging area for al Qaeda" and that the forces of militancy and extremism are launching attacks against NATO from parts of Pakistani territory.She accused the "military dictatorship" of President Musharraf of fuelling extremism by putting in...
December 27th - - Fox News - Security Barrier: Pakistan a More Dangerous Place Without Bhutto I had the privilege of being invited to a private briefing with Bhutto in London before her triumphant return to Pakistan in October. Having just heard Pakistans former army chief Gen. Jahangir Karamats take on practical steps to tackle the strategic challenges posed by Pakistans extremist movement, I was as always fairly underwhelmed with the Pakistan miltarys party line. So I was keen to hear Bhuttos thoughts at a briefing down at IISS on the banks of...
December 26th - - Bahrain News Agency - Bahrain-Iran Cooperation Hailed Irans policy is based on development of its ties with regional countries, a strategy shared by both sides, he explained, pointing out to Iran intensive efforts to establish an FTA with the Gulf states. In this context, he also welcomed his call for security cooperation. Mottaki said he could not attend Manama Dialogue forum last month because he was very busy with other activities.
December 24th - - ANSA - Pena Morte: Studio USA Contro Vittoria Europea a ONU Agli Stati Uniti non piace l'offensiva italiana ad europea contro la pena di morte e per analizzare dinamiche e conseguenze della vittoria che ha portato l'Assemblea generale dell'Onu ad approvare la Risoluzione sulla moratoria delle esecuzioni capitali, il Dipartimento di Stato ha commissionato uno studio del quale il Corriere della Sera di oggi riporta alcuni brani. "Il tema della pena di morte dimostra che esistono due visioni in competizione, che potrebbero provocare nel tempo frizioni...
December 22nd - - Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network - Terrorism is not whitewashed yet London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies issued a report in which it stated that the dangers of extremism are getting more and more dangerous since Al Qaeda succeeded to resist and to accommodate as well as it succeeded to protect essential factors in its attacking capability among which assuring a refuge to the leaders of its operations and to its high Leaderships in the tribal Pakistani regions.
December 21st - - The Australian- Defence policy can't be left to doomsayers We need to be more careful about identifying parts of the world that will be most seriously affected by climate change in a security sense. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, different regions will be affected in different ways but the overall impact is likely to increase the vulnerability of areas that are already prone to conflict, poverty and disease. According to the IISS, there will be moderate but below-average declines in rice yields in South and...
December 21st - - American Forces Press Service - Defense Secretary Gates: Coalitions Critical in Afghanistan, Other Security Mi Visiting Bahrain earlier this month, he pressed countries throughout the Persian Gulf to expand multilateral cooperation so they can better protect the region against threats from Iran and other destabilizing forces. Gates told about 200 senior military leaders from 23 countries at the Manama Dialogue that broader security relationships with closer multilateral ties and cooperation are "an absolute necessity" in light of threats the region faces. Such a framework could help pave the...
December 19th - - Gulf Daily News - Security talks urged He also stressed the importance of bilateral, regional and multilateral negotiations in building a viable security system free from weapons of mass destruction. He was speaking as he delivered a lecture on the Gulf region's security challenges at the invitation of the Paris-based Institut des Etudes Politiques (Institute of Political Studies). The initiative came following the Manama Dialogue conference.
December 19th - - Indo-Asian News Service - India should wield smart power, says IISS expert India is in a unique position to wield 'smart power' as it emerges as a major global player with the potential to contribute to resolving a whole basket of international issues, including nuclear proliferation, and combating terrorism, says top strategic expert Patrick M. Cronin. 'The world would like India to play a more active role in global affairs. India can blend a mixture of hard and soft power. India can wield smart power,' said Cronin, director of The International Institute for...
December 19th - - Economist - Russia, Iran and nuclear fuel: Dangerous Liaisons Russia's decision on fuel shipments was made before the NIE was published. Commercial concerns may have tipped Russia's hand, says Mark Fitzpatrick of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think-tank. It wants to be seen as a reliable supplier, so as to pick up more reactor contracts from others. Russia, America, some Europeans, Japan and others with advanced nuclear fuel-related technologies also have ideas for fuel-supply services and spent-fuel management as an...
December 18th - - Mizzima News - Fighter planes crashing common in Burma : analyst According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Burmese junta's military expenditure accounts for over 40 percent of the national budget while health and education allocation accounts for 0.4 and 0.5 percent respectively.
18th December - - Financial Times - US weighs post-surge troop levels Toby Dodge, an Iraq specialist at Queen Mary University London, said Gen Petraeus would face "a great deal of pressure" to withdraw troops as quickly as possible. But Michael O'Hanlon, a military expert at the Brookings Institution, said the Pentagon would probably conclude the US needed to keep closer to 15 combat brigades in Iraq. "Common sense would say that you would to get some feel for how this is working before you commit to . . . lower force levels than we have at any...
December 18th - - United News of Bangladesh - Iftekhar calls for national consensus on Dhaka's foreign policy; spells out 10-poi Jointly organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the U.K. based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the opening session of the dialogue was also addressed by IISS representative Hilary Synnott and Director General (Europe) Nazmul Kaonain. Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain, foreign diplomats, former ambassadors and senior officials of the Foreign Ministry and IISS were present.
December 17th - - BBC News - Russia ignores West's Iran fears "It appears that Russia has decided that there is no longer a political reason to hold up the provision of fuel," said Mark Fitzpatrick, nuclear expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. "An important factor was probably the continuation of the International Atomic Energy Agency's work with Iran on questions about its past activities. The recent report from US intelligence in the National Intelligence Estimate that Iran was not actively seeking a...
December 16th - - Independent on Sunday - So, what did we achieve? After four years and 174 dead, Britain's lead role in Basra i Was any other outcome ever possible? Toby Dodge, an Iraq expert at London University and the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), doubts whether foreign forces could ever have achieved the Washington neocons' vision of spreading peace and democracy in the Middle East through regime change in Iraq. But he is particularly scathing about British policy in Basra, saying: "It was doomed from the beginning, because we never had anything like enough troops or resources on the...
December 16th - - Washington Post - A Gates-Style Thaw Gates, however, would have none of this as he spoke by telephone this month from Bahrain, where he had just explained to Gulf Arab defense officials that Washington was not easing its campaign to stop Iran from going nuclear despite all appearances to the contrary. As he had in Munich in February and in Singapore in June at similar conferences, he worked hard at being nonconfrontational and listening respectfully to other speakers. Attending such gatherings was not his idea or his wont, Gates...
December 15th - - Khaleej Times - Two Bahraini ministers face grilling by MPs over hospital The government remains silent over rejection of application seeking licence for Milad hospital that was ready for operations eight months back. The hospital is a joint investment project between Bahraini and Iranian businessmen. The issue surfaced after the last minute boycott of the Iranian delegation to the Manama Dialogue Summit held in Bahrain last week, as the Press linked it to the rejection of licence application by the hospital.
December 14th - - Time - French Defense Execs Woo Gaddafi Europe itself is not a big arms customer. The real hunger lies in oil-rich and third-world countries eager to modernize their armies. Unlike the 1980s, when France nurtured military ties with African governments selling massive arms systems in return for political backing France has few natural allies to whom to sell weapons. Two months ago Morocco France's former colony and close neighbor rejected the Rafale and instead bought Lockheed Martin's F-16 fighter jet,...
December 14th - - Daily Times (Pakistan) - Indian secretary alleges neighbour supports transnational terrorism Menon went on to say, we in India have directly suffered the consequences of the linkages and relationships among terrorist organisations, support structures and funding mechanisms, centred upon our immediate neighbourhood, and transcending national borders.He was speaking to top diplomats and strategic experts here at a day-long foreign policy dialogue, organised by India, with the influential International Institute of Strategic Studies.
December 14th - - Islamic Republic News Agency - Major cleric: NIE report neither a big victory nor something without importanc He then termed as a "political victory" the failure of the US Defense Secretary Robert Gates in his recent Manama visit to lure support of Arabs in opposing Iran. "Gates had gone there (to Manama) to form an Arab-Israeli camp against Iran but with God's grace, he spoke so humiliatingly in the Conference that the participants ridiculed him. We consider it as a political victory that our Arab neighbors have come to the belief that Iran is their powerful friend and they want to...
December 13th - - Gulf News - US should start a dialogue with Iran Secretary Gates did not realise that he was stepping into a minefield when he addressed a regional security conference there that included all members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a six-member alliance and a key ally of the US.
December 13th - - Al-Ahram - Absent Iran in focus Despite the continued standoff, Washington's policies towards Iran were challenged at a conference on regional security held in the Bahraini capital, Manama, Friday. While Iran refrained -- at the last minute -- from attending the conference, it was the focus of the event. Gulf countries loudly signalled their opposition to any military option against Iran. "We want the military factor to be eliminated," Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Abdul-Rahman Al-Attiyah told the...
December 13th - - Al-Ahram Weekly - Manama's mixed messages Are Iran and the US moving towards mutual accommodation? This seemed to be the main question that participants in a Manama-hosted Gulf security conference took away with them after three days of intense discussion. Organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, this year's Manama Dialogue, which opened Friday, included official delegations from the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain), Yemen,...
December 13th - - Zee News - Collapse of state structures in West affected India: Menon In an apparent reference to Pakistan, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said any compromise with such forces only encourages those responsible for terrorism. International terrorism remains a major threat to peace and stability, he said inaugurating the foreign policy dialogue with London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.
December 13th - - Radio Free Europe - Iraq: Sunnis, Sadrists Attack U.S. Security Pact Meanwhile, Accordance Front spokesman Salim al-Juburi told Al-Jazeera on December 2 that Sunni Arab Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi warned the U.S. Embassy of his reservations over the agreement's security component, saying it could make Iraq vulnerable to a veiled occupation down the road. Al-Juburi also claimed the agreement ignored issues such as national reconciliation and reconstruction. Both issues are in fact addressed in the declaration of principles. Al-Hashimi later told participants...
December 13th - - Middle East Times - 'No, I don't' Gates was in Bahrain last weekend where he delivered the keynote address at the opening session of a conference on security in the Gulf organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Upon finishing his speech Gates opened the floor to questions. Naturally, his presentation, as well as a good number of questions from delegates attending the conference, centered on the recently released National Intelligence Estimate, which seemed to absolve Iran of its nuclear infractions.
December 13th - - United Press International - Turkish worries over Iraq Turkey remains deeply concerned by ongoing developments in neighboring Iraq and opposes any division of the country, Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul told a security symposium gathered in the capital of the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain last weekend. Addressing a conference organized by the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies, Gonul said Turkey remains highly preoccupied by ongoing activities of the Kurdistan Workers Party, which Ankara considers a terrorist organization.
December 13th - - Associated Press - Gates Urges Gulf Region to Counter Iran Gates, ending a weeklong trip to the region, intended in his keynote speech at an international security conference in Manama to urge Gulf allies to cooperate more as part of a broader strategy for containing Iranian influence, according to U.S. officials traveling with Gates on Friday.
December 12th - - New York Times - White House Is Confident of Broad Support on Iran Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, visiting Bahrain on Saturday, described the assessment as being explicit that Iran is keeping its options open and could restart its nuclear weapons program at any time I would add, if it has not done so already. of Defense Robert M. Gates, visiting Bahrain on Saturday, described the assessment as being explicit that Iran is keeping its options open and could restart its nuclear weapons program at any time I would add,...
December 12th - - Press TV - 'Iraq will never support new war' Al-Hashemi noted that the absence of Iran at the global security conference recently held in Manama, Bahrain, was a loss for the meeting. He dismissed speculations regarding competition between Iran and Saudi Arabia over Iraq. He also insisted that the ongoing standoff over Iran's nuclear case could be
December 12th - - New York Times - Losing Weight in the Gulf Ive been at a security conference in the tiny Gulf state of Bahrain, attended by defense officials and analysts from all over the world, and all the buzz has been about the latest U.S. National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. It has left every Arab and European expert Ive spoken to baffled not in its conclusions, but by why those conclusions were framed in a way that is sure to reduce Americas leverage to negotiate with Tehran.
December 12th - - Middle East Times - India's spy agency blunders draw ire Chaturvedi has been at loggerheads with several members of the Congress-led coalition, including the National Security Adviser MK Narayanan. At a recent conference in Bahrain, Narayanan warned about the intention of trans-national terrorism to hit economic targets in the Middle East and South Asia. But Chaturvedi and Tripathi take a completely opposing view and plan to downgrade their agency's focus on the terrorism threat.
December 12th - - Guardian - Iraq progress feeds a new nationalism Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser, typifies Baghdad's brash boosters. Speaking on the sidelines of a weekend security conference in Bahrain, he warned Saudi Arabia's princely rulers and other Gulf potentates to watch out. "We are out of the woods ... We are building a new Iraq under a democratic parliamentary system. There is a new sense of belonging in Iraq," he said. "These people should understand the new Iraq is going to lead the region in a new way, with...
December 12th - - Mehr News Agency - Rafsanjani urges amity among factions ahead of Majlis polls Rafsanjani expressed regret that Iran as a main regional player didnt participate in the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain last week. When I noticed that Iran was not present at the Manama conference I started thinking that how it is possible to establish security without Iran. Why the U.S. defense secretary should be the star of the conference and give strategy to regional countries. In the Manama conference U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates called Iran the main...
December 12th - - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - Verdrängte Fragen Wer sich einen Eindruck von der Stimmung am Persisch-Arabischen Golf verschaffen will, dem bietet die Sicherheitskonferenz "Manama Dialogue", die das Londoner Institut für Strategische Studien (IISS) jährlich in Bahrein veranstaltet - 2007 zum vierten Mal -, eine gute Gelegenheit. Die Lage im Irak, die Bedeutung Irans für die Staaten des Golfkooperationsrates (Saudi-Arabien, Kuweit, Qatar, Bahrein, Vereinigte Arabische Emirate, Oman) und die Rolle Amerikas für Stabilität und...
December 12th - - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - Sidestepping the issues The Manama Dialogue, hosted every year in Bahrain by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), is a good opportunity to check the climate in the Gulf States. 2007 was the security conferences fourth year. The situation in Iraq, the significance of Iran for the Gulf Cooperation Council States (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman) and the role of America in the stability and security of the entire region are recurrent themes. ...
December 12th - - Kuwait News Agency - نائب رئيس الجمهورية العراقية..للعنف في العراق منابع متنوعة ??? ???? ?????? ??????? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ?? ????? ????? ?? ?????? ??????...
December 12th - - Kuwait News Agency - الربيعي يدعو الى ايجاد ميثاق أمني بين دول الخليج ??? ?????? ????? ?????? ??????? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ??? ????? ????? ???? ??? ???...
December 11th - - Hindustan Times - Trial and terror India's stark warning to Western and Gulf Arab countries to brace for a new wave of terrorist attacks on economic targets is not surprising. National Security Advisor (NSA) M.K. Narayanan issued the caution while addressing a security conference in Bahrain recently. This seems to be based on new intelligence about al-Qaeda training schools along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, which are "breeding a new generation of terrorists".
December 11th - - Washington Post - New U.N. Iran Resolution Considered Although European officials and Middle East experts agree that the new NIE effectively takes military options off the table, tensions remain high between Washington and Tehran. Iran lashed out at the Bush administration Sunday after Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in Bahrain that Iran is trying "everywhere you turn . . . to foment instability and chaos," charging that its "destabilizing" policies are a threat to every Middle East country. Iranian Foreign Ministry...
December 11th - - Financial Times - The myth of a grand bargain with Tehran So what is going on? Fortuitously, I spent the weekend at a conference on security in the Gulf, organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Soldiers, diplomats, spooks and academics had flown into Bahrain from all over the world. But the wisdom of the security crowd failed to come up with a single convincing explanation for recent events. Several theories were doing the rounds. Among the Americans and Europeans, the most popular explanation was that the US intelligence...
December 11th - - BBC News - Homecoming parade for Iraq troops The parade comes after Gen Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the Army, said in September he was concerned that the work carried out by troops was not being acknowledged.
December 11th - - Guardian - Both Tehran and Washington must swallow the rhetoric and seek a deal An intriguing article in the International Institute for Strategic Studies journal argues that the consequences of a swift US withdrawal from Iraq could prove much less cataclysmic than pessimists have suggested. Christopher Fettweis of the US Naval War College suggests that "the unprecedented is also unlikely ... imagined consequences are usually worse than what reality delivers". He acknowledges the real risk, even probability, of intensified civil war for a time. But he is highly...
December 11th - - Inter Press Service - IRAQ: Iran Eases Support to Radical Group For Now Washington has long accused Tehran of training, arming and funding Shia extremist groups in Iraq such as the Mehdi Army militia run by cleric Muqtada al Sadr. U.S. defence secretary Robert Gates repeated claims of Iranian interference on Saturday, and called Tehran's foreign policies a threat to the United States and to the Middle East. But his comments followed those of some U.S. officials who said in recent weeks that Iran appears to have halted the flow of arms across its border with its...
December 11th - - Asia Times - Iran prepares to further its US 'interests' Even in the absence of such a brave initiative on Europe's part, Iran's European policy has now been much strengthened as a result of the NIE report. This has been seized on by the government to put Europe on the defensive and cause a split from the US, which has been hard-pressed to justify the absence of any policy change toward Iran by recycling the old accusations of Iran's "threat to region", to paraphrase Defense Secretary Robert Gates at a security conference in the Persian...
December 11th - - Alsumaria - Iraq considers regional security pact National Security Advisor Mouaffak Al Rubaie stressed the necessity of reaching regional reconciliation rather than sectarian confrontation in the region. In a dialogue session during Gulf Security Conference held at the end of last week in Manama that the regions security cannot be disintegrated. He added that Iraq is considering seriously calling for regional security pact similar to Baghdad pact or NATO-style pact in aim to counter terrorism, counter narcotics, counter religious...
December 11th - - Turkish Daily News - Ahmadinejad seeks to improve Iran image with Ankara visit A NATO member and a candidate for accession to the European Union, Turkey must take care to adopt its policies toward Iran accordingly, Celalifer said. Despite the NIE's observations, European countries still urge Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment that could lead to it acquiring nuclear weapons, and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates depicted Iran as the troublemaker of the Middle East over the weekend. However, Turkey has to live with Iran. Extensive sanctions on Tehran will...
December 11th - Washington Times - Fantasies and realities At a global security conference in Bahrain, Defense Secretary Robert Gates appealed to Persian Gulf nations to demand that Iran "openly affirm that it does not intend to develop nuclear weapons in the future." Now, those nations must prove whether they will have the strength, the clout and the means to prevent Iran from acquiring the capability to build nuclear weapons. This odyssey is, however, doomed to spiral through a series of increasingly dark fantasies such as Iran over...
December 11th - New York Times - Who Wears a Winter Coat in Djibouti?, and Other Tales From a Trip The big question ahead of this past weekends Persian Gulf regional security conference in Bahrain the one behind all the speculation, the whispering, the laying even of odds was the possible interaction between Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and his Iranian counterparts. Would it be cold shoulders and icy glares in the warm desert? A polite handshake and then move on to a coffee and juice? Perhaps how tantalizing! a secret meeting?
December 11th - New York Times - Israelis Brief Top U.S. Official on Iran Admiral Mullen, who has been chairman of the Joint Chiefs for only a few months, was making a 24-hour visit to Israel, rare despite close defense ties between the United States and Israel. He was returning from a regional security conference in Bahrain, where the American defense secretary, Robert M. Gates, emphasized that Washington continued to see Iran as a grave threat to regional security. Mr. Gates said Iran had accelerated its efforts to enrich uranium despite United Nations Security...
December 11th - - Washington Post - The Gulf in the Gulf Just listen to what Defense Secretary Robert Gates said to the government delegations assembled for a regional security conference in Bahrain this past weekend: "Everywhere you turn, it is the policy of Iran to foment instability and chaos, no matter the strategic value or the cost in the blood of innocents - Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike. There can be little doubt that their destabilizing foreign policies are a threat to the interests of the United States, to the interests of every...
December 11th - - Jerusalem Post - Missing urgency Speaking on Saturday in Manama, Bahrain, Gates pointed out that the same NIE that Iran has joyfully embraced also described Iran's "continued research and development of medium-range ballistic missiles that are not particularly cost-effective unless equipped with warheads carrying weapons of mass destruction." "Everywhere you turn," Gates continued, "it is the policy of Iran to foment instability and chaos, no matter the strategic value or the cost in the blood of...
December 11th - - Associated Press - Iraq's VP urges Iraqis to return home, citing improved security "Considering the improved security situation, we're doing our utmost to encourage Iraqis to return home," al-Hashemi told reporters following closed-door talks with Jordanian Prime Minister Nader al-Dahabi. Al-Hashemi, who arrived here from Bahrain where he attended a regional security summit, maintained that the Iraqi authorities "want our citizens back to their country because there are many university graduates among them who can help in the development drive."
December 11th - - Arab News - Iran Is No Threat and Thats Official It looks as though the GCC countries have had enough of Washington crying wolf. During a regional security summit, held last weekend in Bahrain, they signaled their opposition to military strikes against Iran and called for roundtable dialogue a position that was also supported by Iraqi leaders attending the conference.
December 11th - - Fars News Agency - US Efforts to Sow Discord between Iran, Regional States Futile The General's comments followed earlier remarks by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates at a regional security meeting in Manama, where the Washington official alleged that Iran was seeking to cause chaos, and its neighbors had to demand Tehran to renounce any intention of pursuing nuclear weapons.
December 11th - - Times of India - China buys oil field in Iran The timing of the oil deal is significant. It comes immediately before China-US Strategic Economic Dialogue is due to begin in Hebai province on Wednesday, The dialogue will see a tug-of-war with US officials raising issues concerning trade deficit, currency valuation and product safety. Beijing has managed to put US officials under pressure through the Iranian deal, which comes within two days of US defense secretary Robert Gates suggesting intensification of economic and diplomatic pressure...
December 11th - - Islamic Republic News Agency- President says NIE report contains baseless points about past Al-Jazeera report asked about US Defense Secretary Robert Gates lobbying with the Arab states of the Persian Gulf to establish a missile defense shield, and his attempts to disrupt Iranian ties with the Arab states in a conference held in Manama, Bahrain, last week. The president said Iran is advancing its own initiative to develop cooperation with the neighboring states and the US is also is doing its own job.
December 10th - - United Press International - Iran, Syria tighten borders "There is no doubt that Iraq needs a strong and honest partner today that has the ability and is ready to help Iraq," Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi said during an address at a regional security conference in Manama, Bahrain. "Yes, I am for an agreement with the United States of America, but this does not mean that Iraq will not be able to sign bilateral agreements with other countries in the world." President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki signed a...
December 10th - - United Press International - Analysis: Iran is still a threat for U.S. The Iranian government's rejoicing over the recent report by U.S. intelligence services that the Islamic republic had ceased being a nuclear threat was short-lived. Addressing a conference on Gulf security in Bahrain over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke of "deep concerns of the U.S. and its allies" over Iran's continued quest for nuclear power.
December 10th - - Associated Press - Iraq plans crackdown in province northeast of Baghdad "There is no doubt that Iraq needs a strong and honest partner today that has the ability and is ready to help Iraq," Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi said during an address at a regional security conference in Manama, Bahrain. "Yes, I am for an agreement with the United States of America, but this does not mean that Iraq will not be able to sign bilateral agreements with other countries in the world." President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki signed a...
December 10th - - Christian Science Monitor - In Iran, Ahmadinejad's bold gambits boost presidential power Last week at a Gulf Arab summit - where leaders are wary of Iran's nuclear plans - Ahmadinejad won plaudits by offering a security pact and a 12-point cooperation plan. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Saturday asked Gulf leaders to instead increase pressure on Iran, accusing it of fomenting "instability and chaos, no matter the strategic value or cost in the blood of innocents."
December 10th - - Morning Star - World - Gulf States rap US line on Iran Gulf Arab states challenged US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on US policies towards Iran and Israel at the weekend, after he urged them to force Tehran to stop enriching uranium. Several delegates at a regional security conference in Bahrain accused the US of hypocrisy for supporting Israeli nuclear weapons and questioned Washington's refusal to meet Iranian representatives to discuss the Islamic republic's nuclear activities. "Not considering Israel a threat to security in the region is...
December 10th - - Die Presse - Teheran klagt über US-Spionage Unterdessen erklärte US-Verteidigungsminister Robert Gates bei einer Sicherheitskonferenz in Bahrain, der jüngste US-Geheimdienstreport bedeute nicht, dass der Iran aufgehört habe, nach Atomwaffen zu streben. Der Iran reichere weiter Uran an und könne sein Atomwaffenprogramm jederzeit wieder hochfahren. Gates forderte die Golfstaaten deshalb zu einem Schulterschluss gegen den Iran auf - das Land stelle eine Bedrohung für die USA und die ganze Nahostregion dar.
December 10th - - Turkish Daily News - Tehran answers Gates Iran's Foreign Ministry yesterday condemned remarks made by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who over the weekend lashed out at Iran for seeking to cause chaos and demanded its neighbors push Tehran to renounce its nuclear program "Basically, this expression is an intervention in the domestic affairs of the regional countries," ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told reporters. But Hosseini said Gates' comments on Saturday and other "activities by the U.S. have not...
December 10th - - Financial Times - Iraqi security adviser tells US to engage with Iran and Syria Mowaffak al-Rubbaie, Iraq's national security adviser, also called on Washington to engage with both Damascus and Tehran, warning that security in the Gulf was interlinked and "you cannot stabilise Iraq and destabilise Iran". Speaking at a conference in Bahrain, Mr Rubbaie sought to assuage fears that Iraq faced the threat of falling under Iranian dominance, saying that Baghdad was working on a long-term strategic agreement with the US that would underline its outlook towards the west.
December 10th - - Council on Foreign Relations - Alarm Subsiding in Israel on Intelligence Estimate on Iran Since the report came out, I think there has been re-thinking, with a number of people, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, saying Iran was still a nuclear threat. Has this eased concerns in Israel? Israelis are also realizing in the second wave that this is going to take time to play out. President Bush will be here in less than a month, and hell certainly be questioned about the implications. But theres a sense that perhaps there was too much attention paid to the...
December 10th - - Kuwait Times - Manama Dialogue an Ideal platform: Kuwaiti envoy The Manama Dialogue forum offers an opportunity to exchange views on vital security issues, Kuwait's Ambassador to Bahrain Sheikh Azzam Mubarak Al-Sabah said yesterday. The ambassador said the forum which groups a number of officials, GCC and international figures, greatly contributes in efforts for reaching a unified formula and a common basis for tackling regional security issues.Sheikh Azzam hoped the forum would lead to finding a joint formula, backed by all concerned bodies, to establish...
December 10th - - Guardian - Iran remains potential threat, Gates warns Claiming Iran may secretly have resumed efforts to build a nuclear weapon, the US defence secretary, Robert Gates, called for intensified international pressure on Tehran and urged Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to develop a joint air and missile shield to ward off future threats. Speaking at a weekend security conference in Bahrain, Gates insisted multilateral defence cooperation was an "absolute necessity". The region faced a "truculent" leadership in Tehran that was...
December 10th - - Gulf Daily News - Bahrain 'is in the firing line' Around 30 people attended the My Right to Security event, at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa yesterday, which was part of the forum. Dr Al Alawi, former US defence secretary William Cohen, the Iraqi National Security Adviser and International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Senior Fellow for Gulf Security Dr Mamoun Fandy were among panellists at the event.
December 10th - - Gulf Daily News - Hague pledges to bolster ties Former Conservative Party leader and current UK Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said his party would do more to build ties with the Middle East if it wins the next British general election. Speaking on the sidelines of the forum, Mr Hague told the GDN of his ambitions to lead renewed efforts to build educational, trade and diplomatic ties between the UK and the region.
December 10th - - Gulf Daily News - Stop proxy war urges Iraq IRAQ's national security adviser yesterday accused some neighbours of conducting a proxy war inside Iraq to serve their own interests. In a strongly worded address on the closing day of a major security meeting in Bahrain, Dr Mowaffak Al Rubaie also stated Iraq had started an irreversible march towards adopting Western values. He added there would be no lasting peace in the Gulf until the US directly engaged in talks with both Syria and Iran.
December 10th - - Gulf Daily News - Saudi's size 'hampering terror clamp' Deputy Chief of General Intelligence Prince Faisal bin Abdullah al Saud said tough measures were in place to control the movement of people at its boundaries, but said their sheer size meant it was impossible to scrutinise everyone. "No one can give any guarantees," he told the GDN on the sidelines of the security conference.
December 10th - - Gulf Daily News - Look inward US official tells Tehran IRAN should spend more time improving the lives of its citizens than worrying about asserting its authority in the Gulf, according to a senior US Navy official. Commander of US Naval Forces Central Command Vice-Admiral Kevin Cosgriff said he was increasingly concerned about its "coercive behaviour" and the threat that poses to maritime security operations.
December 10th - - Gulf Daily News - Gulf 'safe from sectarian violence' "There is a significant decline in sectarian violence inside the Iraqi border, I am happy to report," Mr Al Hashimi told a Press conference on the sidelines of the final day of the Manama Dialogue security conference, being held at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa. "Now the violence, you are fully aware now, is inside the Sunni community and there is also internal violence inside the Shia community. "So it is no longer now that that violence is sectarian so we are not...
December 10th - - Middle East Times - Go West, young (Iraqi) man "There is a conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran being fought on the soil of Iraq," said Rubaaie; a conflict between Sunnis and Shiites. He made that comment at a symposium on security in the Gulf, organized by the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies. Mr. Rubaaie was very lucid in his advice to the United States, whom he called an ally, saying: "We are heading west."
December 10th - - Middle East Times - U.S. still views Iran as nuclear threat Despite last week's National Intelligence Estimate absolving Iran of its nuclear transgressions, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates warned the Islamic republic that it is not yet off the hook. Instead, Gates called for increased sanctions and greater diplomatic pressure. Addressing a conference on Gulf security in Bahrain over the weekend, the U.S. secretary of defense spoke of "deep concerns of the U.S. and its allies" over Iran's continued quest for nuclear power.
December 10th - - Press TV (Iran) - PG officials: Israel threatens ME "Israel is a source of threats. Any country that can attack its neighbors is a source of threats. There has to be a feeling of security, and we do not use a language of confrontation and aggression," Bahrain's Crown Prince Shaikh Salman told journalists on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue. "We want to build relations of mutual trust and respect," he added. "We have seen numerous wars and we do not wish to see another war in the region."
December 10th - - Gulf Daily News - Iran condemns Gates' demand "Basically, this expression is an intervention in the domestic affairs of the regional countries," a ministry spokesman said. But he said Gates' comments and other "activities by the US have not succeeded in creating differences among the countries." In his speech during the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain, Gates appealed to Persian Gulf nations to support penalties designed to force Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment.
December 10th - - Press TV (Iran) - Iraq urges US to interact with Iran So long as the US refuses to seriously engage with Iran, the long-term security of the region will be in doubt. Iraq's National Security Advisor, Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, made the remark Sunday on the final day of a regional security summit in the Bahraini capital, Manama. His comment is seen as a sharp response to the US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who called on the Persian Gulf littoral states Saturday "to work together to take the necessary measures to bring a long-term change of...
December 10th - - Tehran Times - Gates outburst triggered by Iran-PGCC convergence Gates argued forcefully at a Persian Gulf security conference Saturday that U.S. intelligence indicates Iran could restart its secret nuclear weapons program at any time and remains a major threat to the region, the Washington Post reported. Tough and at times sarcastic, Gates said the Iranian government also is supplying weapons to insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, backing the Islamic movements Hezbollah and Hamas, and developing medium-range ballistic missiles.
December 10th - - Arab Times - Saudi, Iran settling scores in Iraq The Iraqi official said security in the region was indivisable. You cannot stabilise Iraq and destablise Iran, for example. Iraqi Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi meanwhile agreed that Iran should be included in any regional security arrangement. It is our destiny to live with Iran... It is inevitable ... that we should work on regional arrangements that lead Iran to be a source of good to the region and not a source of harm, he told reporters on the sidelines of the...
December 10th - - Xinhua - Iran: US comments can not affect relations of Mideast countries Tehran says recent comments about Iran from Washington cannot affect relations between countries in the Mideast. Earlier, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Iran is seeking to cause chaos, and its neighbors must demand Tehran renounces any intention of pursuing nuclear weapons.
December 10th - - Hindustan Times - Narayanan issues terror warning to West, Gulf states National Security Adviser MK Narayanan has asked Western and Gulf Arab states to prepare for a new wave of terrorist attacks on vulnerable economic targets and high-profile politicians. Narayanans advice, based on Indian intelligence, came at a regional security conference in Bahrain, reports coming out of the kingdom said.
December 10th - - Press TV - India warns of wave of al-Qaeda attacks India's National Security Adviser M. K. Narayanan has warned Persian Gulf states to brace for a new wave of al-Qaeda terrorist attacks. Narayanan told a regional security conference in Bahrain on Sunday that the recommendation is based on the intelligence gathered by India.
December 10th - - Arabian Business - Gulf warned of fresh terror threat Indias national security adviser has told Gulf Arab and Western states to prepare for a new wave of terrorist attacks on economic targets.Speaking from a security conference in Bahrain, MK Narayanan said new Al Qaeda training schools along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border were breeding a new generation of terrorists.
December 10th - Associated Press - Mortars Hit Iraq Prison; 7 Inmates Dead On Sunday, Iraq's Sunni Arab vice president said he supported an agreement for a long-term U.S. presence, signaling a rift between the moderate mainstream of the once-dominant Sunni Arab community and hard-liners on the influence of the United States in Iraq. "There is no doubt that Iraq needs a strong and honest partner today that has the ability and is ready to help Iraq," Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi said during an address at a regional security conference in Manama, Bahrain....
December 10th - Associated Press - Iraq says security hinges on U.S. relations with Iran Iraqi National Security Adviser Mouwaffak al-Rubaie warned Washington that a strategy of aligning its Sunni Gulf allies against Iran would further exacerbate regional tensions. "The United States, until they seriously engage with Iran ... the long-term regional security will be in doubt," Rubaie said on the final day of a regional security summit in the Bahraini capital. It was a sharp rebuke to Washington a day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates called on Persian Gulf countries...
December 10th - - Agence France Presse - Climate change could lead to conflict, instability: UN report In September, Britain's International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) predicted fears about stability are bound to rise to the top of the agenda. "The security dimension will come increasingly to the forefront as countries begin to see falls in available resources and economic vitality, increased stress on their armed forces, greater instability in regions of strategic import, increases in ethnic rivalries, and a widening gap between rich and poor," it said.
December 10th - - Bahrain News Agency - Iraqi Vice President Talks about Security in Iraq before Manama Dialogue Forum He added in a statement at a session of Manama Dialogue Forum that the sharp disagreements on a number of files such as natural resources and the attempts of division might prolong the instability and violence in the country. To ensure continuous improvement of security in Iraq, there should be an agreement on a package of solutions and on the way state affairs should be run, he noted. At the end of his speech, Al Hashimi stressed the need for the international community to provide guarantees...
December 10th - - Gulf News - NATO-Model Security Alliance Sought For Gulf Region "According to intelligence reports, new schools that specialise in the training of an international brigade of terrorists have been established on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Recruits from at least 14 countries have been identified as among the trainees there," he told the Manama Dialogue conference here. "It would be in everyone's interest if solutions could be found for problems that cast a shadow over peace in this region," he said.
December 10th - - Gulf News - Caution against economic targets at security summit The two-day security conference, 'Manama Dialogue', concluded here on Sunday with calls to collectively solve the problems that are threatening the peace and stability of the region and to form organisations like the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. A senior Indian security advisor cautioned against a new wave of attacks on economic targets.
December 10th - - Les Echos - Washington : le danger iranien est toujours d'actualité Ce rapport intervient à un mauvais moment, il a ennuyé un certain nombre de nos amis et embrouillé nombre de gens , a indiqué le responsable américain lors d'un forum organisé par l'Institut international d'études stratégiques (IISS). La politique de l'Iran est de fomenter l'instabilité et le chaos et sa politique étrangère déstabilisatrice est une menace pour les intérêts des Etats-Unis, les
December 10th - - The Straits Times - Eng Hen ends Bahrain visit MINISTER for Manpower Ng Eng Hen concluded his visit to Bahrain where he attended the Manama Dialogue. This is a key security forum for the Gulf region and it brings together national security forces from various states to exchange views on security challenges
December 9th - - Bahrain News Agency - Iraq-dialogue: Pending issues with Iran must be solved - Iraq Deputy PM At a press conference at the Manama Dialogue Security Conference today he said that solving the pending issues with Iran would make the country a source of stability in the region. He said despite an improvement in the security in Iraq, The process was slow, and added that violence in his country was the result of crimes organised by the intelligence agencies in other countries. Concerning the strategic security agreement with the US, he said that Iraq still had not entered into any...
December 9th - - Tehran-e Emruz- Manama Security Conference Useless Without Iran - MP Dariush Qanbari, member of the Majlis parliament national security committee, answered the above questions in an interview with Tehran-e Emruz saying: Iran is one of the most powerful countries of the region and no one can doubt it. The countries of the region understand this and try to resort to other powers to confront and limit Iran and to defend their own interests and reinforce their bargaining power. These countries have no doubt that any security arrangement in the region necessitates...
December 9th - - United Press International - India warns of new terror attacks Speaking at a security meeting in Bahrain, M.K. Narayanan warned of recruits from 14 countries training at new al-Qaida camps along the Afghan-Pakistan border, the BBC reported Sunday.The recruits are being trained to target politicians and energy infrastructure, such as oil pipelines, storage depots, electricity pylons and oil tankers, Narayanan said.
December 9th - - Agence France Presse - الهاشمي : العراق بحاجة لاتفاقية امنية مع الولايات المتحدة ??????? (? ? ?) - ???? ???? ???? ????????? ??????? ???? ??????? ????? ?? ?????? ?????...
December 9th - - Jerusalem Post - Analysis: Israel faces hard sell in convincing US on Iran Either way, his visit as well as President George Bush's planned trip to Jerusalem next month, are clear attempts by the US to show Israel that it is not alone in the face of what Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has called the "greatest existential threat" in this country's short 60-year history. US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates hinted to this effort on Saturday when he spoke at the Manama Dialogue conference and defended - to the laughter of the audience - Israel's alleged nuclear...
December 9th - - Channel News Asia - Dr Ng Eng Hen attends key regional security forum in Bahrain Manpower Minister and Second Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, has attended a key regional security forum in the Gulf. The Manama Dialogue, which is held in Bahrain from 7 to 9 December, brings together the national security establishments of participating states from the Gulf and beyond to exchange views on regional security challenges.
December 9th - - Associated Press - Iraq's Sunni vice president gives the nod to Iraqi-US cooperation deal "There is no doubt that Iraq needs a strong and honest partner today that has the ability and is ready to help Iraq," al-Hashemi said during an address at a regional security conference in Bahrain. "Yes, I am for an agreement with the United States of America, but this does not mean that Iraq will not be able to sign bilateral agreements with other countries in the world."
December 9th - - New York Times - Bomber Kills 11 at Police Station in Northern Iraq Political in-fighting was renewed when Tariq al-Hashemi, a Sunni Arab who is vice president, said the country was led by a weak government. We have to revise the political process to ensure genuine power-sharing in decision making, Mr. Hashemi told Reuters on a trip to Bahrain. I do have my own reservations about the way my country is being run, he added. Deficiencies in professionalism, corruption is becoming widespread.
December 9th - - Associated Press - Iraqis say US must engage with Iran for Mideast security Al-Rubaie said the U.S. needed to take bolder steps to elicit Iranian support over both its nuclear activities and role in Iraq. "The United States, until they seriously engage with Iran ... the long-term regional security will be in doubt," said al-Rubaie on the final day of a regional security summit in the Bahraini capital of Manama.
December 9th - - Dar Al Hayat - "Reassurance" in the Gulf following the US Report The US Minister of Defense Robert Gates tried to reassure his colleagues among the Ministers of Defense and security officials of the Gulf region during the convention organized by the "the International Institute of Strategic Studies" in Bahrain that the policy of his government vis-à-vis Iran "did not change" following the issuance of the latest report of the US secret service bodies. The report created waves of criticism and concern among these allies and equal waves...
December 9th - - China Daily - UN nuclear agency team arrives in Tehran Iran's Foreign Ministry criticised comments by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who said in Bahrain on Saturday that Iran posed a threat to the United States and the region despite the US intelligence estimate, which was published on Dec 3. "Such statements are interfering in the internal affairs of the countries of the region and they are trying to mar cooperation among regional powers," spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told a news conference on Sunday.
December 9th - - VOA News - UN Nuclear Experts to Examine New Area of Iranian Activities In another development, Iran's Foreign Ministry is dismissing allegations by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates that the Tehran government is trying to create chaos in the Middle East. Gates was speaking Saturday at a global security conference in Bahrain. He urged Gulf Arab states at the conference to support U.S.-led efforts to pressure Iran into suspending uranium enrichment, a process that can be used in developing nuclear weapons.
December 9th - - Associated Press - Iran condemns Gates' demand to push Tehran to stop nuclear program Iran's Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned remarks made by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who over the weekend lashed out at Iran for seeking to cause chaos and demanded its neighbors push Tehran to renounce its nuclear program. "Basically, this expression is an intervention in the domestic affairs of the regional countries," ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told reporters. But Hosseini said Gates' comments on Saturday and other "activities by the U.S. have not...
December 9th - - The Peninsula - Gulf needs strong Iraq: PM Qatars Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani yesterday said Iraq was not invited to the Gulf Cooperation Council summit because of the sectarian divide prevailing in that country. In front of hundreds of delegates at a security summit in Bahraini capital, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem, in response to a question by Iraqs national security adviser Mowaffaq Al Rubaie on why non-Arab Turkey and Iran were invited to last weeks Doha summit...
December 9th - - The Peninsula - Gulf single currency unlikely by 10: PM Gulf states are unlikely to meet a 2010 deadline for monetary union, Qatars Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani said here yesterday
December 9th - - Press TV (Iran) - Hosseini: US interferes in region Iran has said that Saturday's remarks by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates was interference in internal affairs of regional countries. "Such remarks, made by Gates at a global security conference in Manama, Bahrain, targeted solidarity among regional countries," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini told reporters Sunday.
December 9th - - Press TV (Iran) - US advised against seeking sanctions Regarding recent comments made by the US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in a conference on the Middle East in Bahrain, Larijani said that Gates' remarks are apparently aimed at striking a kind of regional balance. "It is interesting that while the US believes in unilateralism on the international scene, it subscribes to regional balance on the regional level. If balance is good on a regional scale, why should it not be equally good on the international level?" he exclaimed.
December 9th - - CCTV (China) - Iran accuses US of spying on its nuclear program At a security conference in Bahrain on Saturday, the US defense chief Robert Gates said Persian Gulf nations must demand that Iran come clean about its past nuclear ambitions and vow not to develop such weapons. He also warned international leaders to stay tough on Iran. Gates said, "While we must keep all our options open, the United States and the international community must continue and intensify our economic, financial and diplomatic pressures on Iran to suspend enrichment."
December 9th - - Washington Post - Iran aims to 'forment instability', Gates says Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates argued forcefully at a Persian Gulf security conference Saturday that U.S. intelligence indicates Iran could restart its secret nuclear weapons program "at any time" and remains a major threat to the region. Tough and at times sarcastic, Gates said the Iranian government also is supplying weapons to insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, backing the radical Islamic movements Hezbollah and Hamas, and developing medium-range ballistic missiles. ...
December 9th - - Qatar News Agency - Premier holds talks in Bahrain Bahraini Crown Prince and Commander in Chief of the Bahraini Defence Force Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifah received Premier and Foreign Minister HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani at the Manama Ritz-Carlton Hotel yesterday on the sidelines of the fourth Manama Dialogue security conference.They reviewed the fraternal relations between Qatar and Bahrain and ways to enhance them in all fields, as well as issues of common interest.
December 9th - - Khaleej Times - Global focus good for region security The Bahraini Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khaled bin Ahmad bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, while addressing the three-day Manama Dialogue which opened yesterday, said that the days where Gulf security could be considered as simply a regional issue were long gone. Today, everyone recognises the security situation in the Gulf has far-reaching global implications in particular given the current and anticipated political, economic, social and strategic trends. Organised by the...
December 9th - - Gulf Daily News - Gulf nuclear power 'raises attack risks' THE development of nuclear technology in the Gulf could put the region's countries more at risk of terrorist attacks, says a leading security expert. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) senior fellow for non-proliferation Mark Fitzpatrick warned that tough safety measures must be put in place before the GCC nations consider introducing a nuclear power grid. "Any large infrastructure, oil rigs or chemical plants would be a target for terrorists and it would be important to...
December 9th - - Gulf Daily News - GCC states move to revalue currencies Gulf oil producers are considering revaluing their dollar-pegged currencies together and will hold talks on a change in the exchange rates "in the next few days", Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said yesterday. They are working together to shift exchange rates, although the GCC countries will keep their dollar pegs, he said on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue security conference.
December 9th - - Gulf Daily News - Policy 'a threat to stability' Dr Robert Gates said the latest intelligence assessments showed the country had secretly developed a nuclear weapons programme for several years and has retained the capability to restart it in the future. He told delegates at the Manama Dialogue security conference that America was committed to a peaceful resolution, but said Iran's behaviour gave him no confidence that any dialogue between the countries would be productive.
December 9th - - Gulf Daily News - GULF SPEAKS OUT Gulf countries yesterday loudly signalled their opposition to any military option against Iran."We want the military factor to be eliminated," GCC Secretary-General Abdulrahman Al Attiyah told the Manama Dialogue security conference. "What we care for in the GCC is finding solutions that enhance security and stability ... and believe in dialogue as a way to solve the crisis," he said.
December 9th - - Gulf Daily News - Bahrain's role 'vital for peace' "So Bahrain will maintain its constructive role in bringing peace to the whole region." Dr Al Baharna refused to comment on the last minute boycott of the high-profile conference by Iran, but said that Bahrain would continue to have strong relations with its neighbour. "I think Bahrain has a very good relationship with Iran," he told the GDN on the sidelines of IISS Manama Dialogue.
December 9th - - Gulf Daily News - Iran links pledge by Crown Prince Bahrain is constantly seeking strong ties with Iran, Crown Prince and BDF Commander-in-Chief Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa said last night. President Mahmoud Ahmad-inejad's visit to Bahrain was aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties, he said on the sidelines of the conference. "We wish that they would have participated in the conference," the Crown Prince pointed out.
December 9th - - Gulf Daily News - Help rebuild Iraq GCC urged Qatar's Prime Minister yesterday admitted Iraq's GCC neighbours could be doing more to help stabilise the troubled nation.In a question and answer session held after delivering an address on the role of economic development in assisting regional security, Shaikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani said members of the six-nation bloc should step up efforts to make investments in Iraq. "I will be very frank - I don't think the GCC is doing enough in Iraq. I think we need to do more and be...
December 9th - - Gulf Daily News - Plan to replace Peninsula Shield THE GCC plans to create a replacement for the Peninsula Shield Force, Kuwait's National Security Council chief Shaikh Ahmed Fahad Al Ahmed Al Sabah revealed yesterday. He said the GCC options would always be unified just as they were when leaders declared the establishment of a common market at the Doha Summit. Shaikh Ahmed, who is in the kingdom to take part in the Manama Dialogue, said the sudden decision of Iran to stay away from the event made every body wonder about the reasons, though...
December 9th - - Gulf Daily News - Tehran boycott 'puzzling' IRAN'S reputation has been damaged by its refusal to take part in a major security conference in Bahrain, organisers said yesterday. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) officials confirmed shortly before the opening ceremony of the Manama Dialogue that the officials had pulled out at the last minute. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was expected to lead a delegation of top government ministers to the three-day event, which started on Friday.
December 9th - - Gulf Daily News - GCC investments 'can cement regional ties' Al Zayani Investments chairman and American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Bahrain president Khalid Al Zayani said it was time to invite Iran to share in the prosperity of the Gulf during an unprecedented economic boom. "They are across the water from us and we cannot ignore them and act like an ostrich - hiding our head in the sand and thinking that there is no neighbour across the water," he told the GDN on the first day of the Manama Dialogue.
December 9th - - Gulf Daily News - Iraqi leader criticises Iran pullout IRAQ's vice-president yesterday slammed the "negative attitude" displayed by Iran's eleventh-hour pullout from the high-profile IISS Manama Dialogue security conference. Tariq Al Hashimi said Iran's decision to boycott the meeting of the main international players in the Gulf's security environment had personally robbed him of the opportunity to further discuss issues relating to his country's internal security with a delegation slated to have been led by Iranian foreign minister...
December 9th - - Gulf Daily News - Hostile questions baffle US army official He praised Secretary Gates' opening address to the high-profile security forum, and said it neatly captured the current US view of the volatile region. "I believe he covered the situation very well, and he captured the Iranian challenge in its entirety. It's important that people look at recent reports - or at least the excerpts made public - and form judgements of Iranian behaviour based on the best knowledge available," said Admiral Fallon.
December 9th - - Gulf Daily News - Bahrain regrets Tehran absence Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said he looked forward to Iran's participation in the Manama Dialogue forum until the very last moment, noting that there were circumstances that prevented its delegation from attending.
December 9th - - Islamic Republic News Agency - Hosseini dismisses Gates' allegations Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini here on Sunday dismissed the recent allegations by Robert Gates saying such remarks are "interference in domestic affairs of the regional states."
December 9th - - New York Times - Gates Sees Iran as Still-Serious Threat During a lively question-and-answer period, Mr. Gates was pressed on whether the United States had a double standard in organizing the world community to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons but not working to disarm Israel. Israel is not training terrorists to subvert its neighbors, it has not shipped weapons to a place like Iraq to kill thousands of civilians, it has not threatened to destroy any of its neighbors, it is not trying to destabilize the government of...
December 9th - - Agence France Presse - Iraq calls for Gulf security pact including Iran Iraq's National Security Advisor on Sunday called on Gulf states to form a regional security pact, which would include Iran, while he reassured the area's US allies that Baghdad is "heading West" in its foreign policies. But Mouaffak al-Rubaie also criticised Saudi Arabia and Iran for what he called settling scores on Iraqi soil and called for regional reconciliation that put sectarian differences aside. "It is extremely important to have a regional reconciliation rather than...
December 9th - - New York Times - Making Peace With Pieces Each of the Arab countries and Israel has its own Gaza, said Mamoun Fandy, director of Middle East programs at Londons International Institute of Strategic Studies. That is, an antipeace, fundamentalist, xenophobic faction, which wants to hold back any reconciliation. ... Until each country confronts its own Gaza, it will have problems. Including Iran. Im in Bahrain, just across the Persian Gulf from Iran, for the institutes annual conference. A...
December 9th - - Middle East Times - Iran shuns Gulf security meeting Iran, initially scheduled to be represented at the Manama conference by its foreign minister, Manoucher Mottaki, decided at the last moment not to attend the conferece where Gates was to deliver the keynote address.
December 9th - - Chicago Tribune - Gates: Gulf nations must help on Iran In a broad call to diplomatic arms, Gates exhorted leaders from the gulf to band together to force Iran to stop its uranium enrichment program and to help the fragile Iraqi government.
December 9th - - Le Matin - Les USA agitent la menace iranienne Le secrétaire américain à la Défense, Robert Gates, a agité hier avec force la menace iranienne pour convaincre les pays du Golfe de mettre la pression sur Téhéran et se doter d'un parapluie antimissile, alors même qu'un rapport des renseignements américains affirme que Téhéran a suspendu son programme d'armes nucléaires.
December 9th - - Sunday Mail (Australia) - US urges air shield over Gulf Mr Gates, who is in Bahrain, off the Saudi Arabian coast, for a regional security conference, said the US enjoyed strong military relations with most Gulf states. He said they should co-operate multilaterally in establishing an air and missile defence umbrella over this region that would deter a country like Iran from threatening to use missiles''.
December 8th - - Agence France Presse - US insists on stronger defences against Iran US Defence Secretary Robert Gates was expected on Saturday to urge Gulf states to present a united front against threats from Iran, senior US officials here said, despite a US intelligence report this week that downplayed the menace it is believed to pose. He is expected to urge Gulf Arab states to cooperate and share more security information in the face of the Iranian threat, be it nuclear or from ballistic missiles, said a senior US defence official. Gates' speech to a regional security...
December 8th - - CNN - Iran Nuclear Program Speaking at an international security conference in Bahrain, Gates urged Persian Gulf leaders to force Iran to stop its uranium enrichment program. Gate's remarks come days after a U.S. intelligence report concluded that Iran had stopped nuclear weapons development four years ago. The report contrasts sharply with Bush administration claims that Iran is working to make a nuclear bomb.
December 8th - - Reuters - Israel no nuclear threat to neighbors, says Gates Asked at the Manama Dialogue conference whether Israel's nuclear program posed a threat to the region, Gates replied: "No, I do not." The statement was greeted by laughter from a room filled with government officials from Middle Eastern countries.
December 8th - - Reuters - Gates says Iran still a threat Iran poses a threat to the United States and the Middle East despite a U.S. intelligence assessment that Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Saturday. In a speech to the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain, the Pentagon chief argued Iran still has the capability to restart its weapons program and continues to enrich uranium, an essential part of atomic weapons development.
December 8th - - Gulf Daily News - Avoid conflict call by Bahrain IRAN must co-operate fully with the international community on its nuclear energy programme to ensure security in the Gulf, Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said last night. Speaking at the opening of a major security conference, he said only relationships based on prosperity and respect and not fear and domination would pave the path to peace. "How do we ensure that Iran's relations with the region and the world became a source of stability and not confrontation?"...
December 8th - - Gulf Daily News - Iran pulls out of forum at last minute Government delegations from 22 countries around the world, including defence ministers, national security advisers and foreign ministers, have gathered for the annual Manama Dialogue, which opened at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki who was expected to lead a delegation of top officials to the three-day event, confirmed the snub.
December 8th - - Gulf Daily News - Be honest brokers! This is an open letter to every delegate attending today's Manama Dialogue at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa. As the nation's Press, we feel it our duty to explain to all of you how we view the security situation in this region. Today's forum of global decision-makers - brought together by the International Institute for Strategic Studies - must primarily ask itself one big, important question. WHOSE SECURITY?
December 8th - - Agence France Presse - Gates rejects comparison between Iran and Israel Iran decided at the last moment Friday not to attend a regional Mideast security conference where the U.S. defense secretary is scheduled to deliver the keynote address. The decision was a sign of continued hostility between the two powers despite recent U.S. claims that Iran does not have an active nuclear weapons program. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki had been scheduled to attend the conference, which opens Friday night, but the Iranians changed their mind and sent no one to...
December 8th - - Washington Post - Gates to Urge Cooperation Among Gulf Nations Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will encourage Persian Gulf nations at a security conference Saturday to cooperate against common threats, including Iran, while assuring them that the United States will maintain a robust military presence in the region decades after it withdraws from Iraq, according to senior defense and military officials. Gates will also discuss a recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iran that concluded the country had halted its nuclear weapons ambitions in 2003....
December 8th - - NPR - In the Mideast, Gates Tries to Back Administration But first, in Bahrain this morning, Defense Secretary Gates has said the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran has complicated the administration's policy toward Tehran. But in a speech to Arab defense ministers, Secretary Gates did not take a conciliatory tone on Iran. NPR's defense correspondent Guy Raz is in Bahrain's capital and filed this report.
December 8th - - NBC Nightly News - Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Persian Gulf delivering message that Iran is still a thre US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in the Persian Gulf tonight delivering some tough talk about Iran despite a new intelligence report that found Iran is currently out of the nuclear weapons business. Gates is delivering the adminstration's message that Iran remains a threat. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports tonight from Bahrain.
December 8th - - Turkish Daily News - Tehran shuns regional summit Iran decided at the last moment Friday not to attend a regional Mideast security conference where the U.S. defense secretary is scheduled to deliver the keynote address. The decision was a sign of continued hostility between the two powers despite recent U.S. claims that Iran does not have an active nuclear weapons program. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki had been scheduled to attend the conference, which opens Friday night, but the Iranians changed their mind and sent no one to...
December 8th - - Financial Times - Iran still a threat to world, says Gates In a unusually tough speech delivered to an audience of security officials in Bahrain, Mr Gates added: There can be little doubt that their destabilising foreign policies are a threat to the interests of the United States, to the interests of every country in the Middle East, and to the interests of all countries within the range of the ballistic missiles Iran is developing. Speaking at a conference sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Mr Gates called...
December 8th - - Financial Times - Mottaki misses Bahrain meeting Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister, was scheduled to attend the meeting in Bahrain, sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, but pulled out at the last minute. No one from Iran will attend. US officials said the conference, which will be attended by more than 200 senior national security, military and foreign policy officials, would encourage multilateral engagement in the region and provide a forum to discuss the role of Iran in the region.
December 8th - - New York Times - Secretary Calls Iran a Threat to Regional Security Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates declared today that Iran is a grave threat to regional security, even without nuclear weapons, and called on Tehran to account for the full range of intelligence describing its support for terrorism and instability around the world. Just days after Iran claimed political victory when a new American intelligence assessment found Tehran froze its nuclear program, Mr. Gates said in his keynote address to "The Manama Dialogue" that Iran could restart...
December 8th - - Associated Press - Gates Urges Gulf Nations Confront Iran Persian Gulf nations must demand that Iran come clean about its past nuclear ambitions and openly vow to not develop such weapons in the future, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Saturday. In a broad call to diplomatic arms, Gates exhorted leaders from the Gulf to band together to force Iran to stop its uranium enrichment program and to help the fragile Iraqi government. "Everywhere you turn, it is the policy of Iran to foment instability and chaos, no matter the strategic value or cost...
December 8th - - Press TV (Iran) - Bahrain supports Iran's nuke rights Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offered a regional security pact and a 12-point cooperation plan, including free trade and joint investments in oil and gas earlier this week during a summit of Persian Gulf leaders. "We see the presentation of these proposals as a positive development to enhance peace in the region and to ensure stability and security," Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa told participants at a regional security conference on Friday....
December 8th - - Press TV (Iran) - Gates seeking to cloud PG relations US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is to attend the 4th annual Manama Dialogue in Bahrain in a bid to turn Persian Gulf states against Iran. In a speech to a security conference on Saturday, the Pentagon chief will restate the US intention to maintain a long-term military presence in the Gulf, according to defense officials traveling with Gates. Gates, ending a weeklong trip to the region, is intended to urge Persian Gulf allies to cooperate more as part of a broader strategy for containing...
December 8th - - Agence France Presse - US intelligence official defends report on Iran On a visit to Bahrain, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Saturday still emphasized the threat posed by Iran. Gates told delegates at a conference on regional security that Iran's foreign policy was a threat to the United States, the Middle East and all countries within range of the medium-range ballistic missiles he said Tehran was developing.
December 8th - - Al Jazeera - Gates calls Iran threat to Region The US defence secretary has said Iran's foreign policy is a threat to the US, the Middle East and all countries within range of missiles that Tehran is developing. In a speech to the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain on Saturday, Robert Gates argued that Iran still has the capability to restart its weapons programme. "There can be little doubt that their destabilising foreign policies are a threat to the interests of the United States, to the interests of every country in the...
December 8th - - Reuters - Iraq too divided to invite to Gulf summit: Qatar In a rare public spat among Gulf Arab countries, Qatar indicated on Saturday that Iraq had not been invited to a regional summit of mainly Sunni Muslim-ruled Gulf states because of Baghdad's treatment of Sunnis. In front of hundreds of delegates at a security summit in Bahrain Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, asked Qatar's prime minister why non-Arab Turkey and Shi'ite Iran were invited to last week's Doha Gulf summit, but not Iraq.
December 8th - - VOA News - Gates Calls Iran Threat to Middle East, US U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says Iran remains a threat to the Middle East and to the United States despite a new U.S. Intelligence report that Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. In a speech to a security conference in Bahrain Saturday, Gates said the countries in the Persian Gulf must work together to demand that Iran clear all ambiguities about its past nuclear activities and openly pledge not to develop nuclear weapons in the future.
December 8th - - Agence France Presse - Gulf countries speak out against military option in Iran Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamed bin Jassem al-Thani went further, calling on Washington to engage Tehran in dialogue to reach a solution. "Direct talks do not mean agreeing (from the start) with the other party," he told conference delegates on Saturday, among them US Defence Secretary Robert Gates. Qatar, one of the key US-allies in the region, hosts the US army's Central Command which directed the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
December 8th - - CNN - U.S. wants more pressure on Iran Gates' address to a Gulf states' security conference Saturday came a day after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters at a NATO meeting in Belgium that the United States will continue to push for a new U.N. resolution to pressure Iran to halt its nuclear program. Gates sarcastically noted that Iran celebrated the U.S. intelligence community's recent report -- the National Intelligence Estimate -- that said Iran suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003. He said it marks a...
December 8th - - United Press International - Gates: Iran remains threat to region U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates Saturday said Iran remains a threat to regional stability, even without nuclear weapons.Speaking to Persian Gulf allies meeting in Bahrain, Gates also said Tehran could restart its atomic weapons program at any time and should reveal its intentions, The New York Times reported.
December 8th - - Arab Monitor - Confrontation and laughter at Manama Dialogue At the Manama Dialogue conference following the Gulf Cooperation Council summit, Iraq' national security adviser Mouwaffaq al-Rubaie confronted the Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim al Thani, asking why Turkey and Iran had been invited to the Doha GCC summit last week, while Iraq had been snubbed. The Prime Minister replied arguing that Iraq is too fragmented to take part in the summit of the GCC saying "Iraq, yes its a very important country and they should be part of...
December 8th - - Associated Press - Gates Says Iran Seeks to Cause Chaos Pentagon chief Robert Gates lashed out at Iran on Saturday for seeking to cause chaos "everywhere you turn" regardless of the blood spilled and said its neighbors must demand that Tehran renounce any intention of pursuing nuclear weapons. At the same time, the defense secretary endorsed the idea of setting up an independent consortium that, under controlled circumstances, would give countries access to uranium enrichment for civil or development purposes. That process can produce...
December 8th - - Associated Press - Gulf Challenges US on Iran, Israel Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was originally scheduled to attend the conference in Manama, which was organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, but Tehran canceled at the last minute. Maamoun Fandy, senior fellow for Gulf security at IISS, said many Gulf countries are wary of high-level direct talks between the U.S. and Iran because of fears that a deal between the two could go against their interests. Qatar's position, he said, suggests there...
December 8th - - Reuters - Iran accuses U.S. of nuclear "espionage" U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in Bahrain on Saturday that Iran still poses a threat, arguing it has the capability to restart its weapons program. Gates also told a security conference Iran continues to enrich uranium, which has both civilian and military uses.
December 8th - - VOA News - Iran Accuses US of Espionage; US Says Iran Remains a Threat Saturday in Bahrain, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Iran remains a threat to the Middle East and the United States. He told a security conference that countries in the Persian Gulf must work together to demand that Iran clear all ambiguities about its past nuclear activities and openly pledge not to develop nuclear weapons.
December 8th - - International Herald Tribune - Gates calls Iran a threat even without nuclear weapons To underscore the importance of the conference, sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, based in London, the U.S. delegation this year included for the first time the defense secretary; the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen; and the senior commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, Admiral William Fallon. "The United States remains committed to defending its vital interests and those of its allies in Iraq and in the wider Middle...
December 8th - - Press TV (Iran) - Gates: Iran still a threat to US US Defense Secretary Robert Gates says Iran remains a threat to the US despite a new report that Tehran does not seek nuclear weapons. Speaking to delegates attending a regional security conference in the Bahraini capital of Manama on Saturday, Gates rejected claims that the White House is employing double standards over Iran while supporting the Zionist regime.
December 8th - - Press TV (Iran) - Iran FM not present at ME confab "Mottaki was due to take part in the Mideast security conference in Bahrain, but he was unable to finalize his trip," Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini told reporters. Hosseini said the Foreign Minister's busy schedule contributed to his last minute change of plans. The Manama Dialogue, organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, provides a forum for the national security establishments of the participating states to exchange...
December 8th - - Mehr News Agency - Bahrain welcomes Iranian proposal to PGCC summit "We see the presentation of these proposals as a positive development to enhance peace in the region and to ensure stability and security," Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa told participants at Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain. He was referring to proposals made on Monday by the Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad attending the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) summit
December 8th - - AOL News - Gates Challenges Iran on Intel Reports Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in a speech before a regional security conference in Bahrain, pushed back against Iran's public declarations of victory over United States foreign policy interests in the wake of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear program. After the release of the NIE this week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the report a "fatal blow" to U.S. led efforts to increase sanctions pressure on that country.
December 8th - - Associated Press - Gates defends Israel's nuclear program US Defense Secretary Robert Gates dismissed on Saturday accusations that the United States applied a double standard on the nuclear issue by supporting Israel while calling for Iran to abandon uranium enrichment. Asked at the Manama Dialogue conference, Bahrain, whether he thinks Israel's nuclear program posed a threat to the region, Gates replied: 'No, I do not.'
December 8th - - Gulf News - India warns of Al Qaida threat Citing Indian intelligence reports, MK Narayanan told a security conference in Bahrain that Al Qaida operatives are now targeting high profile politicians. Narayanan also warned that economic infrastructure in the Gulf region, such as oil pipelines and storage depots, are at risk.
December 8th - - American Forces Press Service - Gates Calls for Continued International Pressure on Iran Gates warned about 200 delegates from 23 nations attending the annual regional security conference about cherry-picking the NIEs findings rather than accepting the full story it gives. The report expresses with greater confidence than ever that Iran did have a nuclear weapons program developed secretly, kept hidden for years, and in violation of its international obligations, he said. The NIE unveils ongoing activities, too, Gates said....
December 8th - - American Forces Press Service - Arab World Must Support Iraqi Progress, Gates Says "Whether the positive trends of recent months continue will be determined largely by where we go from here, Gates told about 200 delegates from 23 countries here at the International Institute for Strategic Studies annual Manama Dialogue. And by we, I mean not only the United States and the Iraqi government, but also the governments of every nation represented at this dialogue. Gates urged the Arab world to exercise your influence with the...
December 8th - - American Forces Press Service - Multilateral Cooperation Critical to Gulf Region Security, Gates Says While emphasizing the importance of U.S. bilateral ties with many countries in the region, Gates told delegates at the Manama Dialogue here, its time to pool their efforts more closely to bolster their collective security. The annual summit, now in its fourth year, brings together about 200 senior military leaders from 23 countries to discuss mutual security interests.
December 8th - - BBC News - Iran threatens Mid-East, US says US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has warned that Iran still poses a serious threat to the Middle East and the US. Mr Gates told a Bahrain conference Iran may have restarted its nuclear weapons programme, despite a US intelligence report saying it had stopped. He urged Gulf states to put pressure on Iran to "come clean" about past nuclear ambitions and stop uranium enrichment.
December 8th - - Al Ryyadh - بمشاركة وفود من 23دولة ???? ??? ?? ??????? ??????? ????? (???? ???????) ????? ???????? ?????? ?????...
December 8th - - Agence France Presse - البحرين ترحب بالانفتاح الايراني على الخليج ??????? (? ? ?) - ??? ???? ???????? ???????? ????? ???? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ??...
December 8th - - Emirates News Agency - ولى عهد البحرين يستقبل عبدالله بن زايد ?????? ??? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ??????? ?????...
December 8th - - Kuwait News Agency - يعقد بمشاركة دول اقليمية وعالمية ????? ??????? ????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ???????????? ??? ??? ????...
December 7th - - Gulf Daily News - Top security chiefs for key talks SOME of the world's top defence, security and anti-terrorism chiefs are attending this year's Manama Dialogue, it has been revealed. At the top of that list are US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Admiral Michael Mullen and US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Admiral William Mullen. The British delegation includes Minister of State for the Armed Forces Bob Ainsworth and Maritime Component Commander and Deputy Commander of Coalition Naval Forces in the Gulf...
December 7th - - Gulf Daily News - US for long-term stay in the Gulf US Defence Secretary Robert Gates will argue today that the Middle East faces a shared threat from Iran and should act collectively to counter Iranian activities in the Gulf. In a speech to a security conference in Bahrain, the Pentagon chief is set to declare the US intention to maintain a long-term military presence in the Gulf, according to defence officials travelling with Gates.
December 7th - - Gulf Daily News - Hormuz closure threat hangs over forum Vice-Admiral Kevin J Cosgriff, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, said that while the likelihood of that happening is low, concerns about Iran consume the region - and his day. "I wake up thinking about Iran, I go to bed thinking about Iran," Cosgriff told reporters on the eve of a regional conference here where Iran will be a key focus.
December 7th - - American Forces Press Service - Gates to Address Gulf Regional Security at Manama Dialogue Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will encourage closer cooperation to promote security in the Persian Gulf region at the fourth annual Manama Dialogue, which opens here tonight. The three-day summit, sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, brings together about 200 defense ministers and senior officials from 23 countries to discuss major security issues in the region. Navy Adm. William J. Fallon, commander of U.S. Central Command, also will participate as a member of...
December 7th - - Middle East Times - Bahrain asks for Gulf 'nuclear free zone' Bahrain's foreign minister Friday called for a "nuclear free zone in the Gulf." Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa made the comment during a talk to some 200 delegates attending a regional security summit organized by the International Institute of Strategic Studies in the Bahraini capital, Manama. Among the slew of personalities in attendance was U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
December 7th - - Navy News - Secretary of Defense Visits Bahrain The Manama Dialogue is a summit for security representatives from Arabian Gulf States and other international powers to discuss issues related to regional security and stability.Gates said there were a number of issues to be addressed at the conference."I obviously have a few things to say in my remarks on Saturday." Gates said. "I have a number of bilateral meetings scheduled, and we'll be covering the full range of regional security issues."
December 7th - - Associated Press - Iran shuns regional security conference in Bahrain, attended by US Iran decided at the last moment Friday not to attend a regional Mideast security conference where the U.S. defense secretary is scheduled to deliver the keynote address, organizers said. The decision was a sign of continued hostility between the two powers despite recent U.S. claims that Iran does not have an active nuclear weapons program. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki had been scheduled to attend the conference, which opens Friday night, but the Iranians changed their mind and...
December 7th - - Associated Press - Persian Gulf Conference to Focus on Iran His comments came a day before a regional security conference that Iranian officials decided at the last minute not to attend. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to make the keynote speech Saturday morning to foreign delegates and other national security officials from Persian Gulf nations and other major powers. Gates has been meeting with his military commanders here, and will participate in the conference, sponsored by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies....
December 7th - - Reuters - Gates to say Iran is shared threat to Gulf region Defense Secretary Robert Gates will argue on Saturday that the Middle East faces a shared threat from Iran and should act collectively to counter Iranian activities in the Gulf. In a speech to a security conference in Bahrain, the Pentagon chief will reiterate the U.S. intention to maintain a long-term military presence in the Gulf, according to defence officials traveling with Gates.
December 7th - - American Forces Press Service - Gates Tours USS Vicksburg During Ships Port Call in Bahrain Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made his first visit to a U.S. Navy warship, the USS Vicksburg, today to tour the vessel, meet its crew and thank them for their service in the Persian Gulf region. Arriving here for bilateral talks at a regional security meeting that opens tomorrow night, Gates took advantage of the Vicksburgs port call in Bahrain to pay it and its crew a visit.
December 7th - - Associated Press - Pentagon chief says Iraq now needs to make reforms Both Petraeus and Gates said it was too soon to tell what caused the drop, or whether Iran was living up to its promise to the Iraqi government to try to stem the movement of arms and extremists into Iraq. "I think that is still an open question," said Gates, who spoke to reporters after touring the USS Vicksburg, a guided-missile cruiser that has been patrolling the Arabian Gulf but docked here. "They clearly have made some commitments to the government of Iraq and I think we're...
December 7th - - Agence France Presse - US military plans not changed by Iran report US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to discuss the intelligence findings and Iran in a major speech Saturday in Bahrain to a regional conference on international security, officials said. The new assessment reversed the US intelligence communitys previous assessment in 2005 that Iran had a covert program and was determined to acquire nuclear weapons.
December 7th - - Associated Press - Iran no-show in Bahrain The conference, organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, welcomed delegates from Persian Gulf nations, the United States, China, Russia, France, Britain, Australia and other countries. Organizers were informed early Friday that Mottaki "would not attend the Manama Dialogue and Iran would not send a delegation," said Kay Floyd, the conference's press officer. There was no immediate report in Iran on the changed stance, but earlier Friday, Iranian...
December 7th - - Associated Press - US intelligence estimate playing down nuclear ambitions has not changed Pentagon's Iran view Sattler said Defense Secretary Robert Gates planned to address the Iran issue in a speech at an international security conference in the Gulf nation of Bahrain on Saturday. Asked whether the Pentagon considers Iran less of a threat, in light of the intelligence report which said that Iran once ad a covert nuclear weapons program but halted it in 2003, Sattler said that matter was under discussion within the U.S. government, but he would not comment further.
Manama Dialogue to discuss global security Top politicians and government officials from across the world will gather tonight in Bahrain for the annual Regional Security Summit the Manama Dialogue. The purpose of the summit will be to discuss global security matters. The first time such a gathering was held was in 2004, in Manama. Organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Manama Dialogue will look to provide a forum for the national security establishments of the participating states to exchange...
Security tight for Manama Dialogue A MAJOR security operation will get underway in Bahrain this weekend as top government officials from around the world gather for the annual Manama Dialogue. The event's dialogues manager Mark Allworthy revealed that thousands of police and military officers would be stationed around Manama to protect visiting delegates and transport them to and from the event, which takes place at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa. The list of delegates attending is being kept secret for security reasons...
Army chief receives Japan defence team The Qatari Armed Forces Chief of Staff HE Major General Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah headed to the Kingdom of Bahrain yesterday with an accompanying delegation to attend the three-day 4th regional security conference Manama Dialogue due to open there today.
IISS and Lloyd's launch terrorism report The Face to Face with Risk seminar coincided with the launch of International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) report, commissioned by Lloyds, on home-grown terrorism and what it means for business.Lloyds Finance Director, Luke Savage, who opened the event, said firms were beginning to realise the threat to their economic well-being We have to be alive to the impact these events can have. Lloyds is a major bearer of the economical impact of...
December 7th - - Agence France Presse - Gates to urge united Gulf against 'Iranian threat': US officials US Defence Secretary Robert Gates is expected on Saturday to urge Gulf states to present a united front against the threat from Iran, senior American officials said on Friday in Bahrain. His call in a major speech to a regional security conference will come five days after the publication of a US intelligence report which concluded that Iran halted a secret nuclear weapons programme four years ago.
December 7th - - Financial Times - Petraeus warns on excessive Iraq hopes Travelling to Mosul and Baghdad for meetings with US commanders and Iraqi officials following a two-day visit to Afghanistan, Mr Gates yesterday expressed optimism about Iraq. Speaking later in Bahrain, he stressed Iraqi officials understood the impatience over the lack of reconciliation.
More Officials Arrive in Bahrain Iraqi forces Chief of Staff General Babaker Zibari, Commander of the US Central Command Admiral William J. Fallon, Qatari Armed Forces Chief Of Staff Major General Hamad Bin Ali Al Attiyah, Saudi Armed Forces Chief Of Staff General Saleh Bin Ali Al Muhaya and Jordanian Armed Forces Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff General Khalid Sarayreh arrived in Bahrain this evening.
Petraeus Has Rare Praise for Syria Speaking shortly after ending a two-day visit to Iraq, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also said it is not clear whether Iran is living up to its promise. "Based on my talks with everyone, including General Petraeus, I think that that's still an open question," he said. "They clearly have made some commitments to the government of Iraq. And I think we're waiting to see. I think it's a little too soon to tell." Secretary Gates spoke in Bahrain, where he arrived Thursday...
When the US Military Crosses Paths With Iran Mr. Gates may have a chance for a similar unexpected close encounter with the Iranians this weekend, as he is scheduled to give a keynote address to an annual regional security conference here. The defense secretary said Thursday that he has no expectations for interactions with any Iranian defense ministry or military officials attending the meeting.
Gates says unclear if Iran has cut support Gates visited Bahrain, home to US Navy's Fifth Fleet, to join more than 200 ministers, security officials and anti-terrorism experts from around 50 countries for a four-day forum on conference on regional security.
Top US general says no 'victory dances' yet On Thursday, Gates travelled to Bahrain where more than 200 ministers, security officials and anti-terrorism experts from around 50 countries have gathered for a four-day conference on regional security. Before wrapping up his Iraq visit, Gates met Petraeus in Baghdad. "It was a closed meeting between the two to discuss items of interest to the secretary of defence and General Petraeus," US military spokesman Lieutenant Justin Cole said in a statement, without offering details.
No 'victory dances' yet in Iraq Petraeus was due to meet later Thursday with Gates, who on the first day of his visit met top Iraqi leaders, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. The defence secretary was to leave for Bahrain later in the day to attend a weekend conference on regional security.
Gates Leaves Iraq Encouraged I came away from all of it feeling very good about the direction of things in the security arena, about what is going on at the local and provincial level in terms of people reaching out to each other, crossing tribal, sectarian and provincial boundaries to work together, Mr. Gates said after arriving in Bahrain, where he will attend an annual conference on regional security issues.
Gates Says Iraqi Leaders Feel Pressure Gates will be attending a regional security conference here in Manama, and he said he expects that "Iranian behavior in a number of areas will clearly come up during the conversations." Petraeus also noted that the military has detained individuals as recently as October who were trained by Iranians, evidence that the instruction has continued.
HM King Hamad Receives Secretary of Defence His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa received in the presence of Crown Prince and BDF commander-in-chief Shaikh Salman bin Hamad al Khalifa at Safriya palace today US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates, currently visiting the kingdom to take part in Manama Dialogue security forum , due to kick-start tomorrow.
Al Baharna Meets Singaporean Official Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Nizar bin Sadiq al Baharna met today with the Singaporean Minister of Human Resources and Second Minister of Defence Ng Eng Hen, currently visiting the Kingdom to take part in the fourth Regional Security Conference Manama Dialogue.
December 6th - - Saudi Press Agency - البحرين والولايات المتحدة ?????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ????? ??? ????? ??????? ????? ???? ?????? ????????...
Business doesn't understand the terror threat The rise in home-grown Islamist extremism "presents an unprecedented threat" to businesses, according to a major new report out today. Lloyd's of London, the world's largest insurance market, and the International Institute of Strategic Studies, has warned that any organisation can find itself caught up in an episode as terrorists focus on causing mass casualties and major economic damage. Lord Levene, chairman of Lloyd's, said: "No-one should be in any doubt that home-grown...
The Gulf States and Iran As for the possibility of air strikes on Iran, much as the Arabs may applaud such a move by the U.S., they do not contemplate doing so on their own. Yet they easily could. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, the air forces of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE) match up quite favorably with those of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The GCC states boast 627 combat-capable aircraft vs. only 286 for Iran,...
Intelligence on Iran Still Lacking Yet Takeyh says Iran's nuclear ambitions have not disappeared. Tehran's current nuclear program could "be converted for military purposes on short notice," he says. Estimates range from two years to ten years, depending on whether Iran may be secretly developing a military enrichment program, which is still a possibility. The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates Iran could produce a bomb as early as 2009, though its likely to take much longer. In any case, says...
Iran's nukes: Less scary than we thought? Iran says it has 3,000 centrifuges enriching uranium; according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, if they have mastered the technical challenges of making the centrifuges work together properly, this could produce material for a bomb in about a year. The NIE seems to discount this, saying that Iran may have enough fissile material by late 2009, but probably not until sometime between 2010 and 2015 because of technical problems. America's spies may think that Iran's enrichers...
Bush: 'Nothing's changed' on Iran Mark Fitzpatrick, the senior fellow for nuclear non-proliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the intelligence estimate was delayed for months as analysts poured over every detail to ensure the best information was put forward - crucial given the striking departure from Washington's previous claims. Fitzpatrick said the new report "indicates that the intelligence agencies took some lessons from the Iraq disaster."
Singaporean Minister Arrives in Manama Singaporean Minister of Human Resources and Second Minister of Defence Ng Eng Hen and his accompanying delegation arrived in Manama today to attend Manama Dialogue.
US report cools crisis on Iran "This is an astounding conclusion," said Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. "The assessment in 2005 that Iran had a nuclear weapons programme was based on evidence from a hard drive handed over by defector. "Since then Western intelligence agencies have tried to find out if Iran had continued with that programme. In fact, they have decided that it did not. "This is a new and important development. It removes...
Nuclear arms risk lowered Mark Fitzpatrick, senior fellow for non-proliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, said: "This is a startling assessment, one that the US has never suggested before. What the US is saying is that they stopped. This explains why Washington has been willing to take a slow diplomatic route in the UN Security Council."
Terrorism and China are business threats British business was warned to raise its security level amid signs that the threats of terrorism and industrial espionage are increasing. A major report warns that home-grown Islamist extremism "presents an unprecedented threat" to businesses, while at least two major UK companies have reportedly faced acts of espionage linked to the Chinese government. Yesterday, a report from Lloyd's of London insurance market and the International Institute of Strategic Studies said the risk of...
December 3rd - - Associated Press - Gates Visits Troops in Africa Gates is also expected to attend a regional security conference in Bahrain this week with military, foreign policy and defense officials from the Middle East. The summit, called the Manama Dialogue, will include discussions on Iraq, Iran and Gulf security.
The PKK: two decades of struggle According to the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London, the PKK currently has between 3,000 and 5,000 active guerrillas. Although that is probably less than half of its strength during the first phase of the struggle, between 1984 and 1999, it is probable that Turkey's latest operations in Iraq will attract new recruits, according to analysts.