14 December 2008: Gulf Daily News
MANAMA: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates urged Middle East nations yesterday to help fight the spread of violent extremism by funding and training Afghan security forces and reaching out more aggressively to the fledgling government in Iraq.
Gates also assured a gathering of Gulf leaders here that President-elect Barack Obama will continue the US commitment to the Middle East, including efforts to fight terrorism and develop a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
And as the lone Republican holdover from the Bush Cabinet to the Obama team, Gates issued a public warning that any effort by terrorists to test the new administration would be a mistake.
"Anyone who thought that the upcoming months might present opportunities to 'test' the new administration would be sorely mistaken,"
Gates said. "President Obama and his national security team, myself included, will be ready to defend the interests of the US and our friends and allies from the moment he takes office on January 20."
Saying that a stable Iraq can play an important role in the region, Gates urged Gulf leaders to set aside old hostilities inflamed in the Saddam era and forge diplomatic ties with Iraq.
Gates has persistently pressed Middle East nations to provide political, economic and overall support to Iraq, saying that if that country falls back into extremist control it will be a threat to the entire region.
He also warned that a failed state in Afghanistan will increase the chances that Al Qaeda and other extremists will take hold again - a threat that would stretch across the Middle East and beyond.
"An enduring requirement is the ability to rapidly train, equip, and advise Afghan security forces," said Gates, asking that Gulf nations fund and send forces - including engineers and agricultural experts.
