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2014-12-07 Arabia
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Britain to boost military presence in Arabian Gulf
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Britain's top diplomat said on Saturday his country has signed a deal with Bahrain that will bolster the United Kingdom's military presence in the island nation and give it a more permanent naval base in the oil-rich Arabian Gulf region.
The agreement marks a strategic shift for Britain, which formally withdrew from its major Gulf military bases in 1971. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond emphasised his country's historic links to the Gulf in announcing the plans at a security conference in the Bahraini capital, Manama.
"In a globalised world, our domestic security and prosperity depends on developments beyond our shores," Hammond said. "Your security concerns are our security concerns."
The deal ensures a permanent footing for the Royal Navy in the oil-rich Gulf, Hammond said. The agreement calls for improved onshore facilities at Bahrain's Mina Salman port that will give the Royal Navy a base to plan, store equipment and house military personnel.
Four British minesweepers are already based in Bahrain, and other British ships rely on facilities in the kingdom. Those operations were carried out on an ad hoc basis, and left personnel relying on "frankly very poor temporary accommodation," Hammond said. He did not say how much the expanded operation would cost.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon described the facility as "a permanent expansion of the Royal Navy’s footprint" that will ensure Britain can send more ships and bigger vessels into the Gulf. 
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Posted by Steve White 2014-12-07 00:00||
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