Bahrain to host major security summit; focus on counter-terrorism

Bahrain will host a major security summit from Friday to Sunday, which will be attended by a number of world leaders, intelligence officers and military chiefs, who will discuss global security, political and economic issues.

During the 10th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Regional Security Summit, discussions will be held on the efforts to counter extremism in the region, the conflicts in Iraq and Syria, and negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme, Xinhua reported.

French Minister of Defence Jean-Yves Le Hain and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond will be among the speakers at the summit, the IISS website said.

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Iraq and the UAE are also expected to take part, among others.

The summit is dubbed as one of Middle East's most influential security conferences.

"In 2014, every single security and geopolitical challenge in the Middle East has become worse," said IISS Director General and Chief Executive Officer, John Chipman.

"This 10th edition of the IISS Manama conference will bring together, at the highest level, all the key parties who are seeking to address the problems of extremist political violence, conflict in Iraq and Syria, negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme and all the other issues now preoccupying the region," he said.