William Hague, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on Friday said that the deal with Iran over its nuclear issue was a transaction much needed to be done to reach a broader agreement in 2014.
William Hague, who delivered the keynote address at the opening dinner of the ÌISS Manama Dialogue hosted by HRH Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Crown Prince Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, identified conflict in Syria as one of the key challenges for the global community.
Talking about the Iranian deal he said it was a big step forward in achieving a durable future deal on stopping Iran from not achieving a nuclear arms capability. “There will be disastrous consequences if Iran develops nuclear weapons for not this region only but globally. Britain will continue to work closely with P5+1 to refrain Iran from its nuclear designs and the recent deal shows the seriousness of the global community,” he added.
He was of the view that diplomacy should be given all possible chances in resolving the conflicts and outstanding issues.
“There will be 4million refugees or one fifth of the Syrian population driven out of the country which demands a quick action from the regional and global stakeholders to achieve a peaceful settlement in Syria,” he said.
In a pre-event debate HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman of the Board, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Saudi Arabia, Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman, Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, US Senate, Shaikh Dr Mohammed Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah, Former Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kuwait and Hoshyar Zebari, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Iraq participated as panellists. The panel was chaired by Fadila Souissi of Sky News Arabia.
On Saturday, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel will speak at the First Plenary Session entitled ‘Global Security Priorities for the US’. Following Secretary Hagel’s discussion the following delegates will speak throughout the day: Dr Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary General, Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf; Nabil Fahmy, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Egypt; Dr Nizar Bin Obaid Madani, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia; Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qatar; Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman, Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, US Senate; Hoshyar Zebari, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Iraq; Borge Brende, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway; Dr Abu Bakr Al Qirbi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yemen and John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada.
The speakers on Sunday and final plenary session will be Salman Khrushid, Minister for External Affairs, India; HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman of the Board, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Saudi Arabia; Seyed Hossein Mousavian, Associate Research Scholar, Princeton University and former Head, Foreign Relations Committee, Supreme National Security Council, Iran; and Dr Gary Samore, Executive Director for Research, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University, US .
The Manama Dialogue is an inter-governmental summit held so that national security leaders from the Gulf, wider Middle East, North America, Europe and Asia can consult bilaterally and multilaterally on key security and foreign policy challenges. Now in its ninth year, the Manama Dialogue has proven to be a key pillar in the evolving Gulf security architecture.
The Middle East office of the IISS opened in May 2010 in Manama. It serves as a base for the Institute’s many research programmes and activities throughout the region. Headquartered in London, the IISS also has long-standing regional offices in Washington and Singapore.