Jordan Times
Monday, February 14, 2005
King tours
International Defence
Exhibition and Conference (IDEX)
By P. V. Vivekanand
ABU DHABI — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday
attended the opening here of the International Defence Exhibition and Conference
(IDEX), the Middle East region's largest military show.
About 905 exhibitors from more than 50 countries, including the US, the UK and
France, are taking part in IDEX, the seventh annual event. Abu Dhabi Crown
Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces General Sheikh
Mohammad Ben Zayed Al Nahayan inaugurated IDEX 2005 in a ceremony attended by
King Abdullah and Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Defence Minister General Sheikh
Mohammad Ben Rashid Al Maktoum. Following the opening, the King and officials
accompanying him toured the exhibition.
King Abdullah also visited Sheikh Mohammad Ben Rashid at his guesthouse in Al
Marmoum area. King Abdullah and Sheikh Mohammad Ben Rashid “exchanged views on a
number of Arab issues, including ways to achieve Arab rapprochement and
coordination for the sake of serving and safeguarding common Arab interests,”
the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported. The Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported
that the Monarch toured the King Abdullah Design and Development Bureau pavilion
and examined displayed products.
Around 120 official delegations are participating in the five-day event, which
is expected to draw around 35,000 visitors. The previous edition of IDEX, which
was held in Abu Dhabi in 2003, had 701 exhibitors from 43 countries around the
world. It drew about 19,000 visitors.
IDEX is jointly organised by the General Exhibition Corporation (GEC) and the
UAE armed forces. A wide range of defence and defence-related products and
services and the latest technologies in this domain are on show.
Ahmad Humaid Al Mazrouei, director general of the GEC, said IDEX has established
itself as one of the most prestigious defence exhibitions worldwide and this
edition is the biggest so far.
The exhibition brings together key decision makers, defence ministers,
chiefs-of-staff and senior officers from the defence forces as well as defence
equipment manufacturers.