US embassy cable - 04MANAMA235

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000235 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/18/2014 
TAGS: PTER, ETTC, EFIN, ASEC, PREL, BEXP, BA 
SUBJECT: CTAG COUNTRY AMBASSADORS SEE NO IMMEDIATE NEEDS IN 
BAHRAIN, BUT SOME CONCERN ABOUT APRIL 2004 FORMULA ONE RACE 
 
REF: A. STATE 14279 
     B. MANAMA 2790 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Ford.  Reason 1.4 (D). 
 
1.  (U)  CTAG Ambassadors in Bahrain agreed U.S. Embassy-led 
efforts are meeting key Bahraini needs, but they wondered if 
the April 2004 Formula One race event's security would be 
adequate.  Over lunch at DCR February 17 with the Ambassadors 
from Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and the Japanese 
Charge, the CDA summarized USG efforts in counterterrorism: 
 
-- Continued U.S. assistance to the Bahrainis in the area of 
detecting explosives.  At DS/ATA expense, a Bahraini team 
from the Ministry of Interior and the Bahrain National 
Security Agency are standing up explosive detecting K-9 teams 
for training in the U.S.  In addition we have reviewed with 
the Bahrainis extensively how to set up large vehicle 
scanners to detect vehicles loaded with explosives as well as 
large crates loaded with explosives.  These scanners could be 
set up at the causeway coming from Saudi Arabia, at the 
airport, or seaport. 
 
-- Training the Bahrainis to manage crises.  Last autumn the 
USG funded training for a diverse  by a group of Bahraini 
first responders, and there is now a critical incident 
management training team in country working with Bahraini 
Ministry of Interior and other GOB officials.  In addition, 
we anticipate an S/CT exercise involving senior policy makers 
in April, 2004. 
 
2.  (U)  The CDA also noted that the embassy hopes that an 
attache from the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign 
Assets Control (OFAC) will arrive in country during the next 
six months.  The British Ambassador noted news reports that 
the financial action task force (FATF) is considering 
establishing a regional office in Manama.  The FATF regional 
office could provide synergy for work by the OFAC attache in 
Bahrain and in the region.  CDA said that the Bahrainis had 
raised the location of the FATF office with U.S. Treasury 
Department officials, but no U.S. Government had not 
announced which potential site it would support. 
 
3.  (C)  British Ambassador said that HMG was working with 
Bahraini military but this did not directly involve 
counterterrorism.  He said that there is also a British 
expert team training Bahraini police in BIP and close 
protection. 
 
4.  (C)  The French, Russian and German Ambassadors said that 
Bahrain had made no requests from them for assistance in the 
field of counterterrorism and they therefore have no programs 
ongoing in Bahrain.  The Japanese Charge said that Tokyo's 
focus is on building up capabilities among south east Asian 
countries, rather than countries in the Persian Gulf. 
 
5.  (C)  The Charge and British Ambassador emphasized that 
Bahrain still needs a law against conspiracy, so that the 
government can arrest those conspiring to conduct criminal 
acts.  The British Ambassador noted that he had sent many 
letters to different government officials on this issue.  UK 
poloff said their sources in the Ministry of Interior 
reported that the Bahraini Government has received copies of 
the United Arab Emirates anti-conspiracy law, in addition to 
copies of the American and British laws.  None of our 
diplomatic colleagues knew if there is, in fact, a Bahraini 
draft conspiracy law in circulation within the Bahraini 
government.  Several of the diplomats agreed getting 
Parliament to pass such a law quickly would be problematic. 
 
6.  (C) All agreed another joint CTAG push with the Bahraini 
MFA to secure Bahraini Ratification of all UN anti-terror 
resolutions would be useful.  CDA said the U.S. embassy, as 
CTAG chair in Bahrain, would take the lead. 
 
7.  (C)  Several of the diplomats expressed concern about 
security in the build up to the early April 2004 Formula One 
race in Bahrain.  CDA stressed that the embassy has received 
no intelligence pointing to such a threat, but that it is 
still early.  None of the other diplomats report having 
received intelligence, but several expressed vague concerns 
about potential security lapses.  The likelihood that Bahrain 
will receive upwards of 100,000 visitors during the first 
several days of April add to the concerns.  They anticipate 
there will be a large surge in traffic coming over the 
causeway from Saudi Arabia, but the scanners which the 
government is slowly moving to buy might not yet be in place. 
 
FORD