KARACHI, Nov 19: The ‘Ideas-2006’, an extravaganza of local and foreign military hardware with the theme of ‘Arms for Peace’ is kicking off here on Monday with a precursor seminar on Expanding Global Security Environment. Federal Minister for Defence Rao Sikandar Iqbal will deliver the keynote address at the seminar.

The exhibition of military hardware and software would be inaugurated formally the same evening at the Expo Centre. It will continue till November 24.

In the seminar, national and international experts from government, armed forces and defence industry, besides academics, will share views on regional and international matters relating to defence industry.

The seminar is geared to highlight some of the new concepts of regional and global security concerns, especially in view of the failure of the US-led war in stabilising Iraq and Afghanistan and the new threat to the West from Islamic extremist groups.

Such occasions are usually used for mooting out new ideas and discussing the pros and cons of the technology and tactics of the warfare which, the world leaders claim, is aimed at maintaining peace.

Those who will present their papers in the first session of the seminar are Li Changhe, Vice-President of the China Arms Control & Disarmament Association on ‘Adapting Military Capabilities to deal with Natural Disasters -- Cost Benefit Analysis’; Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on ‘Evolving Nature of South Asian Security Dynamics; Benoit D'Aboville of France on ‘Expanding Reach of NATO -- Impact on Future Asian Security Dynamics; Prof Abdul Khaleq Abdullah of UAE on ‘Impact of Foreign Military Forces on Regional Security; and Dr Shireen Mazari on ‘Root-causes and Future Trends of Terrorism’.

Those who will speak in the second session are Dr Bernard Loo of Singapore on ‘Military Growth in Southeast Asia: Explanations & Implications’; Bulent Meric of Turkey on ‘Small Arms Control and Its Impact on Developing Countries’; Rear Admiral (r) Hugh Edleston of UK (Transparency International) on ‘Distortion in Defence Procurement; Air Commodore M. Khalid Banuri on ‘Pakistan’s Approach to Export Control of Sensitive Technologies -- Export Control Policy’; and Abdul Rehman Allana on ‘Privatising Defence Industry, Its Pros & Cons in the Wake of Volatile Security Environment’. Director General Defence Export Promotion Organisation Maj-General Syed Absar Hussain will welcome the guests.

Foreign delegates have started arriving in the metropolis. The organisers said Turkish Minister of National Defence Vecdi Gonal and Polish Vice-Minister for National Defence Marek Zajakala are also attending the Ideas-2006.

The Turkish delegation is the largest comprising almost 100 persons. It includes an admiral who is commander of the fleet, undersecretary for defence industry and senior civil and military officials. The Turkish defence industry will be represented by 16 companies.

The Polish delegation which will participate for the first time in the Ideas series comprises chief of army logistics, director of the Military International Cooperation Department, chief of the Support Centre of Operational Command and other high-ranking military officers.

The city government, police and Rangers have been working on contingency plans to ensure the exhibition is a success. Extraordinary security arrangements have been made

at the city airport and Expo Centre, as well as at and around the hotels where the delegates will stay and the routes they will use.