U.S. pushing Gulf nations to develop missile defense

09-30-2012 • http://www.rawstory.com, By Agence France-Presse

The United States is pushing Gulf countries to develop missile defense plans, amid what they see is a rising threat from Iran, US officials said Friday.

“It’s the United States’ goal, to encourage the GCC countries to develop this missile defense architecture, because… to truly protect the region by missile defense, it requires a regional approach,” a senior US official said ahead of talks with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.

“To be able to defend against a missile in your territory often requires radars and other types of capabilities outside your territory.”

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had been due to attend the New York talks alongside US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, but bad weather forced him to abandon his travel plans.

The US official said Washington has already expressions of interest from some of the Gulf nations in developing missile defense capabilities and they hoped to have some announcements of contracts in the coming months.