KUWAIT CITY, March 23: We are 100 percent committed to a diplomatic not a military solution regarding Iran, however, we need stronger support from the international community with much tougher sanctions and we very much hope that in the near future that can be achieved, says Minister of State for Armed Forces, Bill Rammell.
“I would very much welcome Kuwaiti support for sanctions against Iran. Iran has rejected the offer of dialogue and engagement and there are now 5 UN Security Council Resolutions that it has failed to comply with. Iran has not gone about this in an open way; it could have signed the additional protocol with the IAEA and it has chosen not to do that, which is really concerning,” said Rammell.

The Minister of State was speaking to the press at a luncheon hosted by the British Ambassador to Kuwait, Frank Baker, at the British Embassy. During his visit to Kuwait, Bill Rammell discussed bilateral relations between the two countries in meetings with Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Interior. The discussions also included some of the key challenges that are being faced regarding Iraq, the challenge that exist from Iran’s nuclear program, Yemen and the Middle East peace process among other issues.
“Kuwait is one of our strongest friends and partners in the world, a historical relationship but also one that is very live and current. We’ve been very pleased to support Kuwait in the past and we’ve continued to work together particularly over the challenges that have been with Iraq. We’ve been extremely grateful over the last 7 years for Kuwait’s cooperation to our forces as they have transited here going to and from Iraq,” commented Rammell.

He added that the armed forces will work with the Kuwaiti government in the 50th anniversary celebrations and 20th anniversary of independence. “I’ve visited the training college this morning which is doing tremendous work helping and supporting the Kuwaiti armed forces but also the personnel from other armed forces within the region. We’ve talked about some contracts where there is a strong UK interest,” said Rammell.
Due to the ongoing positive relationship between the two militaries, there are a number of equipment issues British contractors are looking to work on with the Kuwaiti government. “We have excellent equipment divisions within the UK and I think that can bring benefit to the Kuwaiti armed forces,” said Rammell.
On Iran, the Minister of State said there are real genuine concerns about its nuclear program. “If Iran was to develop nuclear weapons, you would inevitably invite a response from other countries in the region, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and others, who in those circumstances would feel that they have to develop nuclear weapons as well. The idea of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East I think is extremely dangerous, which is why this is so important,” he explained.

The Minister and the Kuwaiti government officials also discussed the political situation in Iraq which has, according to Rammell, made progress especially in terms of security.
“The level of violence in Iraq is at its lowest level since 2003. I visited Iraq yesterday and I think there has been real security and political progress with the recent elections. The recent elections, as I was talking to the British Ambassador to Iraq yesterday, are a real pride amongst the Iraqi people with a 62 percent turnout. A new government now will clearly be formed in Iraq and we look forward to working with it,” stated Rammell.
He added that the Iraqi forces have taken more and more responsibility for their security affairs as the UK has now drawn down all of its combat troops. “The Americans have still got 100,000 soldiers as back up in Iraq that will go down to 50,000 during the course of the next six months. Our forces are there as part of a defense corporation agreement with the Iraqi government and parliament and they are principally engaged in maritime security and maritime training.
“We are providing Um Qasser, which I have visited yesterday, with the direct training development and support to the Iraqi navy so that they can take the responsibility for policing their waters. I had the opportunity to go on one of the vessels that have been procured for the Iraqi navy and I have found a very high degree of professionalism amongst the Iraqi navy that is very commendable,” noted Rammell.
Regarding Yemen, the Minister of State discussed that it is also a country of real concern that needs strong social and economic political reforms by its government and particularly a focus on tackling the threats from al-Qaeda. There is also a role for the GCC in working on this issue with Yemen and encourage reform.

The British Ambassador to Kuwait, Frank Baker, added that the problems that are prevalent in Yemen are extremely wide ranging as the population in Yemen is 23 million, the greatest in the region and it is likely that number will double by the year 2018.
“That could equal huge strain on the resources of the country at the time when the oil supply is running out and there is a serious problem with water. Yemen could perceivably become the first country in the world literally to run out of water in the next 10 years. They are having a huge problem with infrastructure. If you put all these problems together, what are you facing, leaving aside for now some of the internal conflicts, you are facing a country that is on the verge of becoming a failed state. It is incredibly important for the international friends to help Yemen overcome these difficulties,” he said.
Regarding piracy in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia, Rummell added that the UK contributes to three separate anti-piracy initiatives by way of ships, equipment, personnel and leadership all of which are designed to deter piracy. Due to that there has been a significant reduction of piracy in the past year, however, the root causes of piracy is still prevalent.
On Afghanistan, there has been reappraisal of strategy and significant improvement in the country, according to the minister of state. Britain has increased its troops to 9500 with other nations, which enabled it to better support the Afghan forces. “We are focusing on areas where there is a large population to try and bring security and we are very focused on training the forces so that we can be able to eventually withdraw,” he said. He added that there is evidence that the Taliban are suffering setbacks unlike a year ago.

Meanwhile, Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair warned Iran on Monday the world will do “whatever it takes” to stop it acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons capability. Iran must know that we will do whatever it takes to stop them getting it,” Blair told the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC.
“The danger is if they suspect for a moment we might allow such a thing,” he told delegates on the last day of the three-day annual policy conference of AIPAC, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee.
“We cannot and we will not. This is not simply an issue of Israel’s security. This is a matter of global security, mine yours, all of us,” the former British prime minister said.
“Iran’s regime is the biggest destabilizing influence in the region,” he said, adding that both Israelis and Arabs know this.
Britain piled extra pressure on Brazil Tuesday to drop its support of Iran and back sanctions against Tehran in a UN Security Council vote expected within a month or two.
A senior Foreign Office official, Nicholas Hopton, outlined the “very direct message” he was taking to Brasilia on the matter, in comments to reporters late Monday in Sao Paulo.
“This is a crucial moment for Brazil to stand up and be counted and show that it is ready to take on the responsibilities of a Security Council member and to take the difficult decision to support sanctions,” he said.

In another development, the Arab League chief wants the 22-nation bloc to engage Iran directly over concerns about its growing influence and its nuclear activities, in a step that could undermine US and Israeli efforts to isolate the country, diplomats said Tuesday.
Senior US officials including Defense Secretary Robert Gates toured the region last month to urge Arab allies to back Western efforts to increase the heat on Iran over its nuclear program, including through tougher economic sanctions.
Arab diplomats said Secretary-General Amr Moussa will present his proposal in a policy document to a two-day Arab League leaders summit in Sirte, Libya, that starts Saturday. The leaders are expected to discuss a range of regional issues, including stalled Middle East peace efforts and Iran.
Meanwhile, China may ultimately be persuaded to abstain in a UN Security Council vote on further Iran sanctions, allowing a new resolution to be passed, a leading sanctions expert said on Tuesday.
It may take until June before there is support for such a move, and even then the measures adopted are likely to be less than the United States and European Union would like; but it should be sufficient to keep pressure on Tehran, he said.

“It really is a push to get big business out of Iran and a push to get China on board with the UN resolution, even if on board just means an abstention,” said Matthew Levitt, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute and a former deputy assistant secretary for intelligence at the US Treasury.
“What will end up happening is China, Lebanon and Brazil will abstain,” he said, but there will still be enough votes in the Security Council to pass the resolution and no veto.
Any package of sanctions is likely to focus on restricting the operations of Iranian banks and insurance companies, the Iranian state shipping company IRISL and a large engineering group linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, he said.
The United States, Britain, Germany and France are driving efforts for a fourth round of sanctions to slow Iran’s uranium enrichment programme, which they say is aimed at developing nuclear weapons but Iran maintains is for peaceful purposes.