UAE HOSTS GCC SECURITY CONFERENCE ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates plans to host another security and military parley. Less than two weeks after the conclusion of IDEX-2007, the UAE was scheduled to host a conference entitled "Arabian Gulf Security: Internal and External Challenges." The three-day conference has been sponsored by the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research and would begin on March 5. Organizers said the conference would be held under the auspices of the UAE military. They said UAE commanders and other GCC military officers would attend. Aida Al Azadi, deputy director of the center, said the conference would focus on GCC strategic cooperation. Ms. Al Azadi said participants would discuss the Iranian threat to the Gulf region. "This conference comes at a time when the region faces an uncertain future, and threats to the medium- and long-term stability and security of the Gulf are increasing," Ms. Al Azdi said. Organizers said the conference would also address Iraq and Al Qaida. They cited the threat alerts in the Gulf region amid the U.S. naval build-up. "They are also to discuss the U.S. and EU [European Union] interests in the GCC area and discuss the impact of the presence of foreign forces on the security and political stability of this area," Ms. Al Azadi said. The conference was expected to gather leading strategists to discuss Gulf security. They included former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador Prince Turki Al Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz as well as GCC secretary-general Abdul Rahman Al Attiyah. "Iraq has become more violent in the past year and there is little sign of a stable country emerging," Ms. Al Azdi said. "This has a direct impact on all countries in the area. Similarly, Iran has seen its regional role grow in recent years, with the increased activity in Iraq and Lebanon, in addition to its nuclear ambitions."