By Geoffrey Bew
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?" Shaikh Khalid asked delegates attending the three-day Manama Dialogue.
"I believe that we must first and foremost ensure that no country in the region will conduct its relations with the world in a confrontational way.
"While reiterating Iran's full sovereign right to use nuclear power for peaceful purposes, it is indispensable for Iran to actively and fully co-operate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), adhering to the principles of openness and transparency."
Shaikh Khalid said there would be no winners if any side tried to achieve its interests at the expense of others.
"We know that for an enduring security order to materialise, it must provide cultural, material, psychological and spiritual benefits: justice, freedom, prosperity, respect for one's identity or culture by others, a general sense of safety and other such intangible but very real factors," he said.
They participants include government officials from Australia, France, Germany, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, China, the UAE and Hong Kong.
A major security operation is underway across Manama to protect those taking part in the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)-organsied event.
A strong police presence was visible around the hotel as delegates arrived from Bahrain International Airport yesterday in huge convoys.
IISS director-general Dr John Chipman will officially open the summit today.
American Secretary of Defence Robert Gates will then discuss US and the regional balance of power during a plenary session.
Gulf security and economic development, energy and regional security will also come under the spotlight, while inter-community relations and sectarian politics will be among the issues discussed by special break-out groups.
The meetings, which are private and not open to the media, will cover regional armed forces and security policy, trans-national threats and economic security.
A series of private bilateral meetings will also be held on the sidelines.
Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid has organised a private lunch for delegation leaders today and Crown Prince and BDF Commander-in-Chief Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa will host a reception for conference participants tonight.
