GULF STATES URGED TO GUARD AGAINST POSSIBLE MISSILE ATTACKS BY MUIN ABDUL MAJID

DUBAI, Dec 15 (Bernama) -- Gulf nations should take measures to protect
themselves against the threat of possible missile strikes, said defence experts
and military officials attending the Middle East Missile and Air Defence
Symposium in Abu Dhabi.

Many conference participants identified Iran as a potential threat to the
region because of its arsenal of ballistic missiles, The National reported.

Mary Beth Long, the United States assistant secretary of defence for
international security affairs, and US defence industry representatives said
acquiring a missile defence system was pivotal for the security of the United
Arab Emirates (UAE).

Echoing their sentiments, retired US army general and vice-president of
international air and missile defence at Lockheed Martin, Dennis Cavin, said
critical resources and capabilities must be defended, and that having no
capability would leave one completely prone to the will of the enemy.

"That's unacceptable to the people, the political leader to be in that
kind of position," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

But Dr Bernd Kubbing of the Peace Research Institute in Frankfurt had a
different view, saying that Iran's threat was potential rather than real, and
favoured dialogue with the Islamic republic.

The conference gathered high-ranking military officials from the US, UAE
and other Gulf countries.

In the past few months, the US Congress has approved two requests to sell
the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) system to the UAE Armed Forces for
nearly US$9 billion, along with the more advanced Terminal High Altitude Area
Defence (THAAD), for nearly US$7 billion, said The National.
-- BERNAMA