A former spokesman for Iran's nuclear negotiating team is among around 400 influential figures taking part in the Manama Dialogue, which starts today (December 5) in Bahrain.

Princeton University associate research scholar Hossein Mousavian will be taking part in the three-day talks and will speak in a session on Iran, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The 10th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Regional Security Summit: The Manama Dialogue 2014 will run until December 7 at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain, Hotel and Spa.

Another Iranian official invited to the talks is Mahdi Zadehali, an expert at Iran's Foreign Affairs Ministry and researcher at the Tehran-based Institute for Political and International Studies.

Delegates will discuss efforts to counter extremism in the region, along with conflicts in Iraq, Syria and negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file.

Former US defence secretary Chuck Hagel was expected to attend the summit like last year until he resigned from the post last month.

“Among the senior US officials taking part this year are Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Middle East Policy Dr Matthew Spence and other senior experts,” said a spokeswoman.

She added around 400 participants at the Manama Dialogue included government ministers, military chiefs, intelligence officers and policy experts.

“This year the biggest contingent is from the UK, with 40 members participating in the security summit,” she said.

The UK delegation will be headed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Philip Hammond and includes Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, chief of the defence staff General Sir Nick Houghton and other officials.

Canada's Foreign Minister John Baird is also taking part, along with Iraq's Foreign Affairs Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Egypt's Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry, UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and French Defence Minister Jean Yves Le Drian.

Oman's Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdulla, who announced his country would not join a proposed Gulf Union during the Manama Dialogue last year, will not be taking part.

The event starts today with an opening dinner and special address.

Sessions tomorrow cover strategic priorities in the Middle East, followed by a discussion on Iraq, Syria and regional security, countering extremism in the Middle East and a debate on collective approaches to current security issues.

During the day, bilateral meetings between ministers and officials will take place.

Four simultaneous special sessions will be held on Sunday on nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 Powers, regional counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation policies, preventing state failure and regional military co-operation.

The forum ends with a plenary session reflecting on 10 years of regional security changes.

Meanwhile, the IISS will be releasing a book as part of its Adelphi series, reflecting the main themes of the conference, to mark its 10th anniversary.

Titled Middle Eastern Security, the US Pivot and the Rise of Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham (ISIS), it is authored by IISS experts and a number of other contributors who analyse regional ramifications of the civil war in Syria and the effects of the changing US posture in the Middle East.

How the regional situation affects Turkey and Jordan is also highlighted along with an overview of the Middle East policy of US President Barack Obama. - TradeArabia News Service