Sunday, December 14, 2008

Iranians Shun Security Forum Addressed By Gates

Iranians Shun Security Forum Addressed By Gates (NSI News Source Info) MANAMA - December 14, 2008: An Iranian delegation did not show up as expected on Saturday at a regional security forum in Bahrain that was addressed by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, organisers said. Kazem Jalali, chairman of the Iranian parliament's foreign affairs committee, was to have delivered a speech to The Manama Dialogue on Saturday, the director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies said. John Chipman, who said he had confirmed the attendance of Jalali and two Iranian diplomats during a recent visit to Tehran, told participants of the no-show just before Jalali was due to speak. In his speech, Gates said the United States was seeking a change of behaviour and not a regime change in Tehran, which is suspected by the international community of developing a nuclear programme for military use. "What we are after is a change in policies and a change in behaviour so that Iran becomes a good neighbour of people in the region (rather) than a source of instability and violence," Gates said.

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