For
immediate release
3
April 2007
PRESS
COMMUNIQUE - COMMUNIQUE PRESSE
NATO parliamentariansÂ’ visit
highlights democratic progress
in
Bahrain and
Kuwait
NATO Parliamentarians have just completed a
five-day fact-finding mission to Bahrain and
Kuwait, where they met fellow legislators as well
as senior government officials of the two Gulf countries. Discussions focussed
on common security concerns in the Gulf and the Middle East, economic and political developments in the
region, and relations with NATO in the context of the Istanbul Cooperation
Initiative (ICI). Meetings with civil society and media representatives were
also held in both countries.
In Bahrain, some 20 European and North
American members of the AssemblyÂ’s Mediterranean Special Group (GSM) met with
Mr. Ali Bin Saleh Al-Saleh, Chairman of the Shura Council (upper house) and Mr.
Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al-Dhahrani, Chairman of the Council of Representatives (lower
house), as well as selected groups of legislators. Defence Minister General
Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa and Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs Nizar al-Baharna
also met the
Alliance parliamentarians.
In
Kuwait, GSM members met Mr. Jassem Mohammad
Al-Khorafi, Speaker of the National Assembly together with members of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs. NATO
legislators were also received by Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad
Al-Sabah and had discussions with Sheikh Thamer Ali Al-Sabah, Vice Chairman of
the National Security Council.
Against the backdrop of tensions in the
region following the detention of 15 British marines by Iranian Revolutionary
Guards and the US decision to hold a major naval exercise in the Gulf, officials
from both Bahrain and Kuwait expressed their serious concerns about the
deterioration of relations between Western countries and Tehran. While NATO parliamentarians voiced their
profound anxiety at the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran, legislators from the
two Gulf countries were apparently more worried about an extreme radioactive
release from the Bushehr Iranian civilian power plant—situated near the Northern
shore of the Gulf—as a result of a military strike against Iran or a nuclear
accident.
Discussions among parliamentarians often
focussed on the situation in Iraq and the Middle East peace process. Several members of parliament in both
Bahrain and
Kuwait were keen to highlight US and
UK “mistakes” in handling the aftermath of the
conflict that toppled Saddam Hussein. When asked to offer advice, Kuwaitis in
particular lamented the fact that the
US administration had so far failed to follow
some of the main recommendations of the Iraqi Study Group, notably to open a
dialogue with Syria and
Iran. There was however general consensus that
the Coalition, supported by the international community, should make every
possible effort to avoid the partition of
Iraq and preserve the countryÂ’s unity.
Officials from both countries had a very
positive evaluation of ICI and the role of NATO in the Gulf region. However,
Kuwaiti officials expressed their unease at the idea that the NATO Training
Cooperation Initiative launched at the Riga Summit in 2006 may include the
development of a common training facility or centre for Mediterranean Dialogue
and ICI countries. Kuwaiti officials would prefer that the two programmes remain
separate for the time being.
NATO PA members
were pleased to witness the vitality of democratic institutions in both
countries, where elected assemblies offer a real counterbalance to the executive
branches. They also noted the relatively free role of the media, particularly in
Kuwait. Meetings with
civil society representatives highlighted the limited impact and success of
extremist Islamist groups in the two countries compared to other societies in
the Middle
East. With regard to human
rights, however, Bahrain and
Kuwait, like some
other Gulf
states, have great difficulties
in dealing with the presence of numerous foreign workers who often lack basic
rights and suffer abuses.
Parliamentarians
from Bahrain and
Kuwait, following this
visit, will be invited to participate as observers in selected NATO PA
activities.
For
further information, please contact
e-mail:
Press@nato-pa.int
NATO
Parliamentary Assembly
Place
du Petit Sablon 3, 1000 Brussels,
Belgium
Tél:
(32) 2 513 28 65 | Fax: (32) 2 514 18 47 |
website:
http:// www.nato-pa.int
|
Background
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly, founded
in 1955 with a Brussels-based secretariat,
brings
together 248 national parliamentarians from the 26 NATO countries.
In
addition, 15 associate delegations from Central and
Eastern
Europe,
Ukraine
and Russia;
4 Mediterranean
Associate delegations: Morocco,
Algeria,
Jordan,
Israel
and
7 Parliamentary Observer delegations participate in Assembly activities and
meetings.