The United Kingdom has returned to the Middle East with a new permanent
base in Bahrain. It is the first one since 1971. The inaugural works
started with the setting of the cornerstone from the British Foreign
Secretary, Philip Hammond, and his Bahraini counterpart, Sheikh Khalid
bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. The new base will be name HMS Juffair and will
be based at Mina Salman Port. |
The new
Royal Navy base in the Persian Gulf is a show of the UK's commitment
to regional stability. It will be able to initially support four British
minesweepers and at a later stage vessels of bigger size, such as destroyers
and frigates. Around 80 people will be stationed there. Until now, the
Royal Navy has been using the US Navy's 6th Fleet installations at the
same port. From autumn 2016, when the base will be completed, all British
personnel will be relocated.
The new base has been opposed in the past by Jeremy Corbyn, the new
Labour leader, other politicians and human rights organizations, due
to Bahrain's record in human rights violations, according to Amnesty
International. Philip Hammond who spoke at the BBC, has admitted that
Bahrain "is not perfect by any means but the ruling family is taking
steps to improve" the record. |
