U.S. and Bahrain secretly extended defense deal
TehranTimes--The U.S. and Bahrain secretly extended their defense cooperation agreement in 2002, it has emerged. The pact, which governs the home port of the U.S. navy’s fifth fleet, was extended by five years and now runs until 2016.
The extension means Washington will avoid having to renegotiate the deal, which was set to expire next month, while the Middle Eastern kingdom is still cracking down on mainly Shia pro-democracy activists.
The 10-year defense agreement, inked in 1991 following the first Persian Gulf war, was renewed in October 2001 for 10 years. It was supposed to be due for renewal next month but the Financial Times has learnt that the Bush administration secretly extended the agreement for another five years in 2002, pushing it out until 2016.