26 Nov 2009 - - Associated Press of Pakistan - Pakistan to take part in 6th IISS Regional Security Summit

26 November 2009: APP

LONDON, Nov 26 (APP)- The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) will bring together over 25 official government delegations to participate in the 6^th IISS Regional Security Summit, The Manama Dialogue, to be held from December 11 to 13 in Bahrain.Convened annually,

The Manama Dialogue gathers all elements of the national security establishments from the countries of the region with the key external powers.

In particular, the 2009 Dialogue will examine critical regional security issues that have a direct impact on government policy in the Persian Gulf, according to the London-based IISS news release Thursday.

Security dilemmas, challenges and opportunities in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan are likely to be at the forefront of discussion as the Manama Dialogue will be joined by Afghan Foreign Minister Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Iraqi Foreign Minister  Hoshyar Zebari,  Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi as well as their counterparts from the GCC, regional and international community.

General David Petraeus, Commander, US Central Command (CENTCOM), will play a pivotal role in the Dialogue and will address regional security architecture, as well as conduct bilateral and multilateral meetings with the chiefs of the staff from the considerable military delegations also participating.

Regional delegations will also include Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the UAE and Yemen.  Other participants include senior government delegations from Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

The Manama Dialogue will formally commence  with a Keynote Address.

The December 12 programme  will include plenary sessions, to be addressed by delegation leaders, as well as a special Dinner Address.

The Dialogue will conclude on December 12 with a series of delegate-only off-the-record break-out groups. During the summit, private bilateral meetings, ministerial lunches and press conferences will help to further inter-governmental relations and foreign policy directives.