Middle East - Homeland & Global Security Forum presented by The Crans Montana Forum in Bahrain

The event is under the High Patronage of H.H. Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Chair of H.E. Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

When increased international cooperation not only at the level of states, but also between the public and private sectors has become a requirement for Security, the HGS Forum is the place where multiple debates between political, government leaders and representatives of the private sector take place, thus allowing for the definition and permanent identification of trends in markets specifically concerned with security issues.

Together around 500 decision-makers and actors in the field of security from more than 80 countries will (1) formulate forecasts with regards to the challenges and characteristics of the Middle East Region, (2) expose new challenges and search for solutions, (3) present new products, services, solutions, and initiatives.

Among the crucial themes to be addressed:
• Maritime and Airport Security
• Energy Security: the challenges of a shift to nuclear energy - the nuclear threat and bio-terrorism
• Large-scale events and their security
• The threat of Terrorism and its recent developments
• The Palestinian Crisis and its consequences on Regional Security
• The situation in Iraq
• How to protect the international financial and banking circuits from the terrorist penetration
• Secure Data Exchange and storage
• Development of integrated systems
• Surveillance and Border Control

Invited press representatives will be able to participate and take advantage of the different sessions and presentations in order to establish direct contacts with the key actors of the HGS Forum.

So far the following VIPs have confirmed their participation:
H.E. Mr. Sali Berisha, Prime Minister of Albania, H.E. Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bahrain, H.E. Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance Bahrain, H.E. Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, Minister of Justice & Islamic Affairs, Bahrain, H.E. Dr. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Bahrain, H.E. Mr. Hussain Al Shahristani, Minister of Oil, Iraq, H.E. General Boonrawd Somat, Minister of Defence, Thailand, Lt. General Mohammed Al Eitan, Director Public Security, Jordan, Mr. Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, Mr. Mohammad bin Ali Kuman, Secretary General, Arab Interior Ministers Council, Mr. Jean-Louis Bruguière, Senior Vice President, Court of Paris (2007), France, Expert in terrorism Affairs to the Council of Europe and the European Commission, Mr. Alain Delecroix, Chairman, Thales Security, France, Mr. Lucio Di Pietro, Prosecutor, Anti-Mafia Directorate, Italy, Mr. Martin Flint, Managing Director, Risk Analysis, UK, Colonel Volker Fritze, Branch Chief - Homeland Security Operations, Germany, Mr. Brian Jenkins, Senior Advisor, Rand Corporation, United States, Lt. General Dahi Kalfin Tamim, Commander in Chief, Dubaï Police, Major General Mohammed Mustafa Khan, General Director, Inter Services Intelligence, Pakistan, Mr. Federico Mayor, President, UN High Level Group for the Alliance of Civilizations, Mr. Tom Ridge, Governor and Former Secretary of Homeland Security, United States, Mrs. Tokia Saïfi, MEP., Chairperson (Security & Human Rights), Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, Mr. Ted Whiteside, Head, Weapons of Mass estructions Centre, NATO.