ABU DHABI, March 16: The Middle East’s largest military show opened Sunday in the United Arab Emirates under tight security with international defence companies saying they were undeterred by the prospect of a US-led strike on Iraq.

Some 825 companies from 46 countries are taking part in the March 16-20 International Defence Exhibition (IDEX 2003) in Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE, up 35 per cent on the last event’s participating firms, according to organisers.

One US defence industry delegate said that a possible US-led war to topple Saddam Hussein over his alleged weapons of mass destruction had not stopped his company from attending IDEX 2003.

“We thought it important to attend, especially given the current situation. This is the largest show in the Middle East and it is good to have a large presence here,” he said.

The popular US pavilion included stands showcasing hardware by firms such as Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumann, Chevrolet and Hummvee, and representation was described as good, despite last week’s US State Department advisory warning US citizens not to travel to the UAE.

“Frankly, the Iraq situation has localised this exhibition further and boosted chances of future contracts with Gulf countries,” added a South African official, also speaking on condition of anonymity.

“The threat, or at least the thought, of conflict is never far from anyone’s minds in this region.”

Boeing Integrated Defence Systems vice president Mark Kronenberg said that the Middle East remained a good market: “Boeing has been in the Middle East for 50 years and will be operating here for 50 years more.”

Frederic Aragon, head of communications for the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS), said for his part that his company had “no link with Iraq or with the situation” in the Gulf region.

“We have contacts with numerous countries in the region, including the UAE, which is particularly interested by our regimented information system,” which the French army installed in some 785 vehicles at the beginning of 2003, Aragon said.

“Countries in the region are interested in our land and maritime border surveillance systems and in protecting themselves against any threat of terrorist attack,” he added.

Herbert Schmidt, vice president of German lens maker Zeiss, said: “We are here independent from circumstances in the region.”

The UAE, Schmidt said, was interested in Zeiss’s infra-red system for surveillance of land borders as a means of preventing infiltrations and terrorist attack.

IDEX 2003, which was opened by the joint chief of staff of the UAE’s armed forces, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, showcases products ranging from missiles to footware and ready-to-eat meals, and also offers exhibitors the unique chance of live-fire demonstrations for weaponry, artillery and missiles with ranges of up to 25 kilometres (16 miles).

King Abdullah II of Jordan was attending the show, as were 15 army chiefs of staff, defence ministers, military delegates, diplomats and industry officials.

A two-day conference on defence strategies runs parallel to IDEX 2003, which also features a 100,000 sq metre (1.1 million sq foot) mobility area for live demonstrations of armoured, tracked and wheeled vehicles and main battle tanks.

A dedicated naval berthing area at Abu Dhabi’s Mina Zayed Port that serves as a launching pad and demonstration area will host 12 warships from Britain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Pakistan, including destroyers, aircraft carriers, frigates and submarines.—AFP