Baharain opposes terrorism

Information Minister Nabeel Al Hamer has said the US military presence in Bahrain is solely of a "logistical and administrative nature" and so far the US has not requested extra military assistance from Bahrain.

He also warned that public opinion in the entire Gulf region would not tolerate an attack on Iraq as predicted by Baghdad.

He pointed out that Bahrain and its GCC partners are opposed to terrorism. But they would not allow the use of their bases as springboards for attacks on any country.

He said Bahrain grants U.S. facilities within the framework of the defence agreement between the two countries.

"Bahrain's policy is that no (U.S.) warplane will fly from its territory to bomb any friend or brotherly state. We keep an eye on public opinion in the region and there are people who support the American (plan to) strike at places that host terrorists camps and others who oppose it," Al Hamer said.

He added that the "U.S. was aware of the Gulf states' position and had not sought their active participation in the impending offensive. In any case, Americans do not need Bahrain as a launching pad."

He said while Bahrain backs any effort to combat terrorism, the targets of any military offensive should be clearly defined.

"A country that harbours terrorists must bear the consequences," he said.

On the speculated U.S. attack on Iraq, Nabeel Al Hamer said he doesn't expect a military offensive against Afghanistan to be expanded to include Iraq.

Warning

Warning that public opinion in the Gulf would not tolerate the targeting of Iraq he pointed out that "there is no proof of Iraq's involvement in the (anti-U.S.) attacks. Punishing Iraq for something in which it is not implicated would be unacceptable.

On whether the U.S. would attack Arab countries such as Yemen because of the alleged presence of some organisations accused of links to Osama bin Laden, Al Hamer said: "I don't know. But I think that in the present circumstance, the offensive will be directed at Afghanistan and bin Laden."

He also explained that a U.S. strike against an Arab country would trigger reactions that would not be in the interest of international cooperation in the fight against terrorism."

On whether he expected Washington to respond to a call from Gulf and other Arab governments to fight the state terrorism they say Israel practices against the Palestinians, Al Hamer said: "The U.S. has been putting pressure on the Jewish state in recent days. But this could well be a manoeuvre aimed at enlisting Arab support for the anti-terror coalition the U.S. is trying to build."

He said even the American on the street has started wondering why terrorism is targeting Americans. The U.S. support to Israel has left U.S. without friends on the "Arab street and we must look for the causes of terrorism and tackle the reasons that led to the emergence of these terrorist groups."

Bahrain has been reiterating its position and even the Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Khalifa stated earlier that the Bahrain government has not received a request from the U.S. nor has it agreed for the use of U.S. forces in Bahrain to strike against Afghanistan.