KUWAIT: Coordination between Kuwait and the world's major powers are necessary to protect Kuwait from major threats, argued the acting head of Kuwait's National Security Bureau (NSB). Speaking at a symposium on relations between Kuwait and NATO, Sheikh Thamer Ali Al-Sabah said "cooperation with NATO is a required step for security in the region." Kuwait faces four major threats: Instability in Iraq, WMD, terrorism and Iran's nuclear weapons program.
"There is no doubt that weapons of mass destruction are threatening global peace and security ... and the GCC demands the entire Middle East to be free of nuclear weapons," he added, noting that nuclear technology for peaceful purposes could be used but under the control and regulation of the international nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.
Jointly organized by the NSB and KUNA, Kuwait's state news agency, the symposium hosted NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo. Kuwait and NATO began talks in 2004 under the rubric of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI). The initiative aims to bolster security cooperation between NATO's 26 member states and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Of the six GCC states, only Saudi Arabia and Oman have not joined the partnership. In December 2006, Kuwait and NATO co-sponsored a conference on challenges facing the Gulf.
Sheikh Thamer noted that regional security cannot be achieved without maintaining the territorial integrity of Iraq and a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that ensures the rights of the Palestinian people. The NATO Ambassador said the security alliance is now focused on threats posed by terrorism, weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of irresponsible people and failing states . He called for expanded dialogue and cooperation between NATO and the GCC states.
"The security of the Gulf matters to NATO. We all face the same threats and share a common interest in the future stability of Iraq, Afghanistan and a common interest in energy security," Minuto-Rizzo said. The type of cooperation between Kuwait and NATO on a practical level seems to be undecided. Sheikh Thamer noted that Kuwait did not see training with NATO as a top priority but did say that border security and regional stability were priorities. NATO has offered to send nuclear disaster management experts to the country for consultations.
"There is no doubt that Kuwait's interests are based on instilling security and stability in the Middle East and the countries around it," said KUNA Editor-in-Chief Yousef Al-Yagout. KUNA hosted the symposium at its headquarters in Shuwaikh.
During the question and answer session, Sheikh Thamer called on the media and members of the public present to submit their ideas about what Kuwait needs from NATO. Information and intelligence sharing topped the list. One audience member warned that the greatest threat facing Kuwait today was the possible dissolution of parliament. Sheikh Thamer quickly dismissed the comment, warning that rumors of imminent dissolution were the real problem and noting that HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah "has reaffirmed that there is no intention of dissolving the parliament." The National Security Agency, headed by ex-oil minister Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahd Al-Sabah, has taken a leading role in developing relations between Kuwait and NATO.
By Jamie Etheridge
© Kuwait Times 2007
