ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates has completed preparations for a huge military exhibition with all Gulf states in the market for weapons systems to answer the growing Iran threat.
Organizers said the International Defense Exhibition, or IDEX-2007,
would be the biggest since the biannual show began in 1993. They said a
record number of exhibitors and delegates have registered to attend the
defense exhibition amid heightened tension in the Middle East.
"GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] militaries are on a buying spree to
counter the Iranian threat," an organizer said. "Every GCC country plans to
bring a major delegation to IDEX."
The eighth edition of IDEX, scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi on Feb.
18-22, was expected to attract 45,000 visitors, Middle East Newsline reported. More than 900 exhibitors
from at least 50 countries have registered and more than 20 nations intend
to establish pavilions.
"Every hotel room in Abu Dhabi is booked and I mean every hotel room,"
the organizer said. "The big companies have taken blocks of rooms, even
entire wings of hotels, and the rest are scrounging for a place to sleep."
Organizers said at least 90 official delegations would attend IDEX. They
said this reflected the importance of the Gulf as a showcase for new
weapons.
The UAE has accommodated IDEX as exhibition space increased by 30
percent. The forthcoming exhibition would take place in the new Abu Dhabi
Exhibition Center, a 14,573-square-meter indoor space and a
12,336-square-meter outdoor space.
In 2006, management of IDEX was sold to Reed Exhibitions, a subsidiary
of the British publishing group Reed Elsevier. For its first 13 years, IDEX
had been organized by Abu
Dhabi National Exhibitions.
Organizers said the United States would play a major role in IDEX. They
said the U.S. Navy has deployed two mine-sweepers for a demonstration at Abu
Dhabi's Port Zayed.
Turkey plans to establish the largest pavilion at IDEX. Organizers said
Ankara has deemed the exhibition a key venue for Turkey's defense industry.
