Manama: France's foreign minister Bernard Kouchner was greatly missed on Saturday at the Manama Dialogue after he was made to decline the long-awaited invitation.
The French minister was scheduled to arrive on Saturday and take part in the debates on the following two days, but President Nicolas Sarkozy wanted him on his side when he receives Egyptian Leader Hosni Mubarak who will on Sunday begin a visit to Paris.
"We were informed at the last moment that Kouchner will not make it to Manama, but we hope that he will be able to make a visit here soon, especially that bilateral relations are moving steadily ahead," Yves Oudin, France's ambassador to Bahrain, told Gulf News.
Interest in talking with Kouchner has gained momentum among the media people after he repeatedly said that he had been scandalised by the Swiss referendum to ban the construction of new minarets.
Robert Gates, the US Defense Secretary, is another high-profile participant who did not eventually show up at the annual security conference that brings leaders from more than 25 countries.
Scheduled to head his country's delegation, like he did in 2007 and 2008, Gates did not come to the conference although he was in Iraq on an unannounced visit one day before the opening.
US officials told Gulf News that Gates had never been scheduled to take part in the conference, even though other officials last month said that he would head the delegation.
Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister, who missed the 2007 and 2008 conferences, and Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, Bahrain's foreign minister, were the panelists of the opening session on Saturday which did not feature the usual keynote speech.
