14 September 2009 : KUNA
GENEVA,
Sept 14 (KUNA) -- Executive Director IISS-US Dr. Andrew Parasiliti expressed belief
that there is room to achieve peace in the Middle East.
Talking to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) at the conclusion of the
annual IISS meeting in Geneva, Parasiliti said that there is hope for
peace in the Middle East because the Obama administration has come in
and given this topic a great deal of urgency.
"The intention of the Obama administration seems to be to give the
Middle East the strategic priority that it merits, obviously these
issues are not resolved easily nor fast, but looking at the past six
months one can say that the administration has given this issue a great
deal of attention," he said.
A Mideast specialist, Parasiliti added that in the coming weeks the
Obama administration will present its approach and perspective on how
best to move this
issue forward, given the past, we are correct to be
realistic in our expectation, but now is the time to lend support to
the efforts that are being made," he said.
Parasiliti stressed that the Gulf states have an important role in the
making of peace in the Middle East and noted that their role is
critical, and that the Obama administration, in this respect has
reached out to friends and allies in the Gulf, because there will not
be peace in the Middle East unless all the key player, including the
Gulf states, are involved.
He said that he will visit Kuwait soon, and that the IISS is embarking
on several important programs in the region including the Manama
Dialogue, and an impressive international conference in 2010 within the
context of the Bahrain Global Forum covering developments in the
international economy and global security, it will have a true
international flavor. Thus, he added, the IISS is embarking on a major
expansion on its major initiatives in the Gulf region.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is the world's leading authority on political-military conflict.
The IISS, based in London, is both a limited company in UK law and a
registered charity. It has offices in the US and in Singapore with
charitable status in each jurisdiction.
