Qatar's foreign minister affirms Gulf security policy
Qatar-Gulf, Politics, 1/12/2004

Qatar's deputy premier and foreign minister, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasem al-Thani, said that the Gulf states have not to feel ashamed from being protected by the US, and urged these gulf states to eliminate their differences so as to withstand challenges of globalization.

In an intervention yesterday upon opening the annual conference of the UAE's center for strategic studies, held under the title "the Gulf and the challenges of the future," held in Abu Dhabi, the Qatari minister added that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are facing several challenges including globalization.

The minister, whose country hosts the headquarters of the American central leadership in the Gulf, justified the presence of American military bases in the Gulf region, saying that the countries of the region chose a pragmatic policy to ensure security for its peoples.

He explained that there are "interests that we should protect, and to protect our people, and not to be ashamed over the existence of the ( American military) forces in the region."

He added that "history will not forgive us if dictatorships which do not honor the International Law and the International legitimacy occupy our countries," noting that had the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein not occupied Kuwait in 1990, there would not have been foreign forces there." The Qatari foreign minister said that the GCC member states ( Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait ) which are rich in oil and gas an be an example for development.

He indicated that conflicts affect the economy and obstruct efforts made in the area of development and growth in the region, noting that the governments have to exert more efforts, and peace is the best means to reach that.

The conference which is organized by the UAE Center For Strategic Studies And Research, with Abu Dhabi as a headquarters, continues for three days to discuss security issues in the Gulf region, the effects of globalization, and the American policy in the region.

Previous Stories:
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