De Hoop Scheffer, in a meeting with KUNA and a delegation of Kuwaiti journalists, said there was a political dialogue with some countries in the Gulf region.
He said he visited Kuwait in December of 2006 for an international conference about cooperation between the North Atlantic Treaty organization (NATO) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, and held constructive political talks with the leaders.
During that conference, he said, Kuwait and NATO signed a security agreement about the exchange of information. This agreement is a key landmark in the relationship between Kuwait and NATO since Kuwait joined the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) in November 2004.
De Hoop Scheffer said his visit to kuwait was the real start of ICI.
Perhaps leaders of the Gulf countries and NATO realized that challenges facing them required special kind of cooperation in terms of fighting terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), said the NATO chief.
The 26-member NATO realizes how countries in the region are keen on realizing security and stability, he said, so the ICI could help in this respect.
The ICI, explained de Hoop Scheffer, did not impose anything on the countries joining it but it, through NATO, offers programs and training missions.
Naval forces from NATO and some of the GCC countries, including Kuwait, will be taking place by end of this month and start of November, he said.
The NATO summit that was held in Bucharest, Romania, last April launched an initiative to organize tailored-made training programs for the GCC countries.
The NATO chief said the alliance’s operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo, or the training of the Iraqi forces, the assistance of the African Union (AU) in Darfur and Somalia, all under a UN mandate.
NATO, said de Hoop Scheffer, sought international peace and stability through cooperation with third countries within framework of initiatives like the partnership for peace (PfP), the Mediterranean Dialogue and the ICI.
The Gulf region is the gateway for security and stability, he emphasized, because of the numerous political challenges.
Therefore, he went on to say, NATO appreciates cooperation with Kuwait in the political and technical domains.
NATO, however, has no role in security of the Gulf region because the alliance, according to article V of the Washington Treaty, was only committed to security and stability of its member countries, he said.
On the international financial crisis, de Hoop Scheffer said it would not undermine NATO’s operations. But, he added, the defense budget of member states would be under pressure.
