Gates warns enemies to avoid testing new president
Mr Gates said the US had no plans to institute a change of government in Iran
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Saturday, 13, Dec 2008 12:11
US defence secretary Robert Gates has warned enemies of the US against testing president-elect Barack Obama in his first days in office.
In a speech in Bahrain, Mr Gates, who was appointed by current president George Bush and will continue to serve under Mr Obama, urged Arab countries to back efforts to stabilise Iraq while pledging the US' commitment to the region.
Speaking at the forum on regional security, he said: "Anyone who thought that the upcoming months might present opportunities to test the new administration would be sorely mistaken."
"President Obama and his national security team, myself included, will be ready to defend the interests of the United States and our friends and allies from the moment he takes office on January 20th."
Mr Gates stressed that US policy towards the Middle East would be marked by continuity and emphasised that pressure on Iran to abandon its nuclear programme would continue.
However, he stressed that the US had no plans to force regime change in Iran.
He told the audience: "Nobody is after a regime change in Iran. What we are after is a change in policies and a change in behaviour so that Iran becomes a good neighbour of people in the region (rather) than a source of instability and violence."
The US defence secretary stressed that the US sought to avoid conflict, adding that every method of "economic and political pressure" would be used to persuade Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Mr Gates replaced former defence chief Donald Rumsfeld in 2006 and alongside General David Petraeus has been praised for improving the security situation in Iraq through the 'surge strategy' implemented in the country which saw an increased deployment of US forces to maintain security in the Middle Eastern country.
The US has signed an agreement with the Iraqi government under which it plans to withdraw all forces from the country by 2011.