Bahrain admits growing opposition to foreign bases

Bahraini Defence Minister yesterday acknowledged the growing opposition in the Arab world to the presence of foreign military bases in the region. However, the military cooperation with the foreign powers is fundamental to preserve regional stability and protect the Gulf "strategic interests," he said.

The Arabian Gulf, with its huge oil reserves, is "the focus of vital interest of all the countries that consider it their lifeline," General Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said.

"Should the production be cut off or stopped, these states will be bankrupt. Therefore, like we have interests in our region, [foreign powers] too have interests that cannot be harmed and need to be secured.

"All this is within international agreements that stipulate the protection of common interests and the security of trade movement without interference in the domestic affairs," the minister said in an interview, published here yesterday to mark the occasion of the Bahrain Defence Force's (BDF) 38th anniversary.

Bahrain, a major US Non-Nato ally since 2002, is home to the headquarters of the American Naval Fifth Fleet, which houses more than 3,000 service men and women. The US also has military bases in other Gulf states, particularity in Qatar and Kuwait.

The Bahraini minister said opposition to the presence of foreign troops in the Gulf was "normal."

"However, our strategic interests demand that we cooperate with the sisterly powerful states, and whenever we assist in a movement, objective or strategy, the motive is to serve the security of the region as a whole," he stressed.

Security of the Gulf region is the common responsibility of its countries and needs their concerted efforts, he added.

"The diverse international developments and their impact on the region lead us to seek further cooperation and coordination with sisterly and friendly countries in order to ensure security and stability for our people.

"At the same time, we are the only ones who can define our needs and priorities and decide how to safeguard our security and stability within the framework of cooperation based upon mutual respect and non-interference in domestic affairs," he said.

Sheikh Khalifa said the Peninsula Shield, the GCC joint force, was "the cornerstone" of military cooperation between the six members.

The Bahraini minister said he was against recent calls by a number of MPs to reduce the BDF's budget.

"The price for defending the country includes spending money to purchase the latest equipment which is usually costly because of production expenses. We cannot do without such sophisticated equipment because we need to keep abreast with our modern times. We must also emphasise that our expenditures do not compare with other countries.

"This is what our brothers the MPs should be conscious of and appreciate. They have to put Bahrain's interests above all other considerations in order to serve the nation and the citizens," he urged.