by MOHAMMED IQBAL
DOHA: Britain is in the process of strengthening its military presence in the Gulf amid growing threats to the security and stability of this region, British Minister of State for Defence Procurement Philipp Dunne (pictured) said here yesterday.
Dunne was in Doha on the last leg of a Gulf tour which also covered the UAE and Kuwait. Yesterday he met with the Prime Minister HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani and other senior government officials.
“The objective of this visit is to take standing from senior members of the government and to show that Britain is back… Today I met with the Prime Minister, Defence Minister and the Chief of Staff. UK is back in terms of looking to find more opportunities to provide regional security,” said Dunne in an interview with The Peninsula.
He said he also visited the UAE and Kuwait to convey this message to leaders there while the UK Defence Secretary has been visiting Oman and Bahrain.
Dunne, however, said his visit was not intended to make any military deals with Qatar but only to “explain the strategic context”. Consolidating the British military presence in the Gulf is part of a new national strategy that lays more emphasis on defence spending.
“Following the general elections in the UK in May, the new government has come out with more clarity of purpose about defence and security. We have a mandate to deliver three things to UK defence. First, to renew strategic deterrent to the level of nuclear submarines. Second, to maintain the level of our armed forces and third to increase expenditure on defence.”
“This is a major turnaround in putting defence at the heart of our national security,” said Dunne. He said the UK is the only country to meet the Nato commitment to put aside two percent of the GDP for defence and security.
“In the Gulf this is going to be drawn out in two particular ways; We have put our commitment to the region onto a permanent footing. We have a standing commitment to have a presence in the Gulf and to use that presence to promote stability and security in the region,” said Dunne.
“The first stage is to set up a permanent naval base in Bahrain and we are now establishing shore side capability as well,” he added.
Asked about the reasons for further strengthening British military presence in the region, he said: “We have a continuing presence here. What is different (now) is that we are recognizing that the threat environment is changing with new problems emerging in the region.”
He said the strategy is more to do with threats posed by IS (Islamic State). UK is already playing a very significant part in the coalition against the IS, with 13 to 14 per cent of the missions over Iraq. “This week we marked the anniversary of that involvement,” he said.
The UK is continuously reviewing its involvement in the coalition. He didn’t rule out the possibility of a military strike to prevent IS from capturing more territories in Syria and to “pursue it deep on the ground,” as in Iraq.
Asked about the perception that Western powers are directly or indirectly responsible for the emergence of IS, Dunne said,
“ IS has come out of the conflict in Syria. They came from Syria to Iraq. Conditions in Syria helped them to flourish as a result of the actions of Assad. In Iraq the situation is different. There is a government in Iraq seeking to pull the country together. It is important to support El-Abadi (Iraqi President) and work alongside other communities like Kurds in the north and Sunni tribes to provide for a political coalition to fight Daesh.”
There was “some success” in the anti-IS operations in Iraq and the coalition forces were able to recover about 25 percent of the territories captured by IS.
“ It is a complex issue. It is not easy to pinpoint who they are and where they are. Young people are getting radicalised through easy access to technology. Social groups and universities should try to dispel the IS propaganda. Locally, efforts are required to restrain their ability to capture territories,” said Dunne.
He underlined the need for a political solution to the Syrian crisis. The forthcoming meeting in New York will tackle this issue.
“ The actors engaged in Syria need to be encouraged to come forward. Assad has no long term role in Syria. He is part of the problem, not the solution,” said Dunne.
On the perceived threat posed by Iran to the Gulf region, he offered his country’s support in this regard. He hoped that relations between Iran and the Gulf states would improve.
“ That is why we are seeking to provide reassurance to the Gulf states to help and support on the security level. By engaging with Iran, we are persuading them to be part of the international order, rather than to be isolated from it.”
Britain has a modest diplomatic presence in Iran but no military cooperation with that country until now. He said sanctions on Iran will end once Iran fulfils its obligations as part of the nuclear deal.
Dunne said it is most unlikely to see a significant move towards peace in Palestine until a new president takes over in the US.
“ I am one of the few British ministers who visited Gaza before I became minister. I saw the situation myself and the deep desire to see the conflict resolved,” said Dunne.
On the issue of refugees, he said the UK does not believe in an “open-door policy”.
Britain has allocated 0.7 per cent of its GDP for international aid as part of the Millennium Development Goals and remains one of the largest donors supporting the displaced people in Syria and Yemen.
“ We are trying to improve the condition of refugees through humanitarian aid, rather than encouraging them to flee to Europe,” said Dunne.
The Peninsula
