“NATO’s role in Gulf security"
Speech by NATO Secretary General
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at the State of Qatar / NATO / Rand
conference
Source: www.nato.int/02-12-2005
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
My visit today is
the first official visit by a NATO Secretary General to the
Gulf region, and I am both honoured and pleased to be here
in Doha. I want to extend my sincere appreciation to the
State of Qatar for its generous hospitality, and for
organising this conference in cooperation with the Rand
Corporation and NATO.
The theme of our
conference is “NATO’s Role in Gulf Security”. And I value
the opportunity given to me at the beginning of our
programme to set out why the security of this region matters
to the Alliance, why NATO and the countries in the Gulf have
an interest in working together, and how we could enhance
our cooperation.
This conference is
very much part of the increased political dialogue which I
have been advocating both within the Alliance, the
transatlantic forum for strategic security issues, and
between Allies and their partners like the Gulf countries.
A political dialogue
flowing quite naturally from the role of a transformed and
still transforming NATO, projecting stability through its
operations and missions, its broad range of partnerships and
through its transforming military capabilities.
Why do NATO and the
Gulf countries have to discuss security matters? Let me give
you three key reasons.
The first reason is
the changing security environment. The threats we face today
are not unique to any of us – they are common across the
globe, and none of our countries is immune to them.
Since the end of the
Cold War more security challenges have taken on truly global
proportions: from terrorism and failed states, through the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, to the
trafficking in human beings, arms and drugs. These threats,
often diffuse in nature, cannot easily be contained. They
must be addressed when and where they arise, or else they
will end up on our doorstep. It is this conviction that
underlies the need for seeing eye to eye with partners on
these issues.
This brings me to
the second reason why NATO wants to discuss security with
the countries of the Gulf. It is the changing nature of NATO
itself. Throughout the Cold War, we focussed on deterring a
major war in Europe. Today, however, you see a very
different NATO.
Our membership has
increased to 26 nations and we are engaged in a wide variety
of missions – ranging from peacekeeping in the Balkans and
Afghanistan to humanitarian relief efforts in Pakistan, to
supporting the African Union in Darfur, all the way to
conducting maritime anti-terrorist operations in the
Mediterranean Sea and running a training mission in Iraq.
And many partners
contribute significantly to most of those missions,
responding to NATO's determination to act together with
others. Indeed, the Alliance has been building partnerships
since the end of the Cold War. Today, NATO has close
relations with countries throughout Europe, in the Caucasus
and Central Asia. For the past ten years, the Alliance has
also engaged countries from Northern Africa and the Middle
East in its Mediterranean Dialogue. And we are now building
new ties to Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and
other nations.
Why? Because we all
realise that in order to be more secure, we need to work
together and have our actions well understood. And that by
cooperating through NATO, we are able to generate the
strongest political momentum and military effectiveness.
Again, the fact that many partner countries participate in
NATO-led operations vindicates that logic.
As an organisation
that has been dealing with multi-national security
cooperation for more than half a century, NATO has a wealth
of experience to offer to non-NATO countries. Most
importantly, over the past decade, we have developed the
necessary political and military links with non-NATO
countries to make our cooperation very effective. And that
is why the new NATO is now in a far better position to make
a tangible contribution to security more widely, including
to Gulf security.
That brings me to
the third reason for looking at NATO’s interest in Gulf
security: the new dynamic in the Gulf region itself that has
been unfolding over the past few years.
In foreign policy
terms, the Gulf states individually and collectively through
the GCC, have emerged as important players in their own
right.
In domestic terms,
as well, the Gulf states have demonstrated a willingness to
meet the challenge of change. Indeed, many Gulf states have
shown a strong determination to combine their proud Islamic
and Arabic heritage with the challenges and opportunities
posed by today’s globalisation. Qatar, our host country, is
a perfect example of this kind of determination and vision.
At the same time, it
is clear that this region faces formidable security
challenges. Several countries in this region have been the
target of terrorist attacks. And your immediate
neighbourhood remains a flashpoint of unresolved regional
issues, of proliferation risks, and of political and
religious extremism.
A new security
environment, a new NATO, and a new dynamic in the Gulf
region –
these were the key factors that motivated NATO, in June of
last year, to launch the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative –
or ICI. In essence, the ICI is an invitation to the
countries in this region to help promote security and
regional stability through bilateral cooperation with NATO
in areas where the Alliance has particular skills and
expertise.
I am glad that, over
the past year and a half, there has been significant
interest in the ICI, and strong engagement – demonstrating
that the ICI is meeting a real requirement. At the moment,
not only this country – Qatar – has joined the ICI, but also
Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. With each of
these four countries, we have made good progress in
developing individual work programmes. And there have been
expressions of interest in the ICI on the part of Saudi
Arabia and Oman as well.
So, all in all, the
ICI has been off to a good start. But I believe that we can
do better still. And as we move forward in developing this
initiative and strengthening the relationship between NATO
and individual countries here in the Gulf region, there are
a number of key principles that I believe we should keep in
mind.
The first principle
is practical cooperation. Clearly, this is where NATO’s
comparative advantage really lies. NATO offers a rich menu
of possibilities for us to work together. These areas
include, for example, cooperation in the fight against
terrorism or in border security. But they also include
cooperation in defence reform, in crisis management and
civil emergency planning, as well as military-to-military
contacts, exercises and education.
Allow me to clarify
a few things in this regard. As I just said, NATO has
tremendous expertise in security cooperation. But that does
not imply that NATO would try to use a specific blueprint
for cooperation with others. For example, even among our 26
member nations there exists no single unified model of
defence reform. What you see instead are several models,
developed in light of specific national experiences and
distinct political and military cultures. It is up to any
country participating in the initiative to determine which
aspects of NATO’s cooperative experience will suit it best.
We are perfectly aware that a one-size-fits-all approach
will not work. But we are perfectly capable, also, to tailor
our cooperation to specific national or regional
circumstances and requirements.
This brings me
directly to the second principle of our cooperation, which
is joint ownership. Our cooperation obviously respects and
takes account of the specific regional, cultural and
political context of our respective partners; the countries
in the ICI should see themselves as shareholders in a
cooperative effort. In short, our cooperation in the ICI
should be a two-way street based on the value added for both
parties. Because a strong security partnership benefits us
all.
The third principle
is complementarity. There is important work being undertaken
by the Gulf States within the framework of the Gulf
Cooperation Council. They are enhancing their cooperation in
a number of fields, including in the political, economic and
security domains. And it is in this latter area that NATO’s
efforts may assist individual states, by supporting and
building on their current efforts. We also acknowledge that
there are a number of other initiatives directed at the
region, such as by the European Union or the G-8, and we
want to complement and reinforce those efforts too.
These are the key
principles that should guide the future development of the
ICI. They are sensible. They are realistic. And they give us
a solid intellectual framework for moving forward, and
reinforcing the political dialogue and practical cooperation
in which we have already engaged.
A key requirement in
our early work will be to underpin what we are doing with a
clear public diplomacy effort. Both NATO and ICI states
themselves need to emphasise that cooperation is in our
mutual interest, and in the interest of our populations. If
we want our cooperative efforts to develop their full
potential, we must do better at correcting misconceptions,
overcoming prejudices, sharing experiences and building
trust. And I believe our conference here today is an
important step in that direction.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, in an era of
globalisation, our security has become interconnected.
Instability in one place can undermine security far a field.
But the same logic also applies when it comes to the
benefits of peace and stability: these benefits, too, will
be felt far beyond the region itself. And that is why we
need closer cooperation between us.
The Istanbul
Cooperation Initiative opens a new chapter in this
cooperation. It provides us with a new channel for political
dialogue, and a range of instruments for practical
cooperation in the defence and security field. In short, the
ICI offers exciting new opportunities – for the Gulf
countries as well as for NATO. We must seize those
opportunities, and develop a new quality in our
relationship.
Thank you.
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