The US military in Bahrain will not be used as springboard for attacks on any other country, said Bahrain’s Information Minister Nabeel Al Hamer on Wednesday.
The US military presence in Bahrain is solely of a "logistical and administrative" nature, he said, cited by the Manama-based Gulf Daily News.
Bahrain already grants the US facilities within the framework of the defense agreement between Manama and Washington, the minister said.
He warned that while Bahrain was unequivocally opposed to terrorism, Manama and its GCC partners would not allow the use of bases on their territory as a springboard for attacks on any other country.
"Bahrain's policy is that no warplane will fly from its territory to bomb any friendly or brotherly state," the minister added.
"We keep an eye on public opinion in the region. There are people who support the American plan to strike at places that host terrorist camps, and others who oppose it," he said.
The US was aware of the Gulf states position and had not sought their active participation in the impending offensive, he said.
In any event, the Americans "don't need Bahrain" as a launching pad, the minister said: US warships in the Indian Ocean "will do."
He said he did not expect the anticipated US military offensive against Afghanistan to be expanded to include Iraq.
Noting that it was the Iraqis, not the Americans, who were predicting a US strike against Baghdad, Hamer said public opinion in the Gulf region would not tolerate the targeting of Iraq.
"There's no proof of Iraq's involvement in the anti-US attacks, and punishing Iraq for something in which it is not implicated would be unacceptable," he said.
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
