14 December 2008: Gulf News
Manama The use of force to protect the region in case diplomacy fails remains a strong option for the international community, Bahrain's foreign minister, Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, has said, warning that no country should be allowed to threaten security.
"We are firmly committed to engaging in diplomacy, and honing it to fit our time. However, if it does not bear fruit and fails, or is exploited for one side's selfish gains, we should not hesitate one minute to become fighters and real combatants in order to safeguard this vital region," Shaikh Khalid said at the opening of the multinational Manama Dialogue security conference on Friday evening.
The minister expressed confidence that the new US administration would address Middle East issues with the same vigour it used to solve the economic crisis.
"The new administration will undoubtedly face new challenges and will tackle regional issues, most notably a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue, hand-in-hand, and with the same vigour that it addresses the economic crisis," he said. But he added that the US cannot solve all the problems on its own and needed to engage partnerships and support.
Key factor
"All of us recognise that the role of the United States in this region, particularly in the Arabian Gulf, will be a key factor in its future security. In fact, this role needs to develop and strengthen into a real partnership based on sustained commitment from both sides. We must bear in mind that the US does not have a magic wand to solve all crises, and in order to help them, we are convinced that there needs to be genuine dialogue among nations as well as greater regional multilateral cooperation and action," he told an audience of senior military and civilian from 25 countries, including US Defence Secretary Robert Gates who will retain his post when president-elect Barack Obama moves into the White House next month.
Fiscal crisis: Minimising impact
Nations should work together to ensure that the financial crisis does not evolve into a global security crisis, Bahrain's foreign minister has warned.
"As world growth stalls, and as countries seek to rebuild the strength of their economies and financial institutions, we need to minimise, both in this region and beyond, the effect of the crisis on ordinary citizens, their aspirations, their jobs, their houses and their quality of life.
Only by maintaining and protecting these pillars of a decent life can we hope to ensure that the financial crisis does not evolve into a security crisis, whether here or elsewhere," Bahrain's Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa told the Manama Dialogue, a multinational security symposium.
