US embassy cable - 04MANAMA448

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000448 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/RA, NEA/ARP, S/CT, DS/ITA, AND DS/IP/NEA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2029 
TAGS: PTER, EFIN, PREL, ASEC, BA 
SUBJECT: COUNTERTERRORISM POLICY PROGRESS 
 
REF: A. STATE 63901 
     B. MANAMA 411 
     C. MANAMA 264 
     D. MANAMA 235 
 
Classified By: CDA Robert S. Ford for reasons 1.4(b)(d). 
 
SUMMARY 
 
1.(C)  On March 22, Bahrain's legislature approved 
ratification of the international conventions on the 
suppression of terrorist financing and terrorist bombings. 
According to the GOB's top international lawyer, the GOB has 
sent three other counterterrorism agreements to parliament 
for approval to ratify.  The lawyer said Bahrain is drafting 
a new counterterrorism law based on Canada's and South 
Africa's laws because they criminalize all terrorist acts 
listed in the 12 international conventions.  The GOB believes 
this approach will win National Assembly approval.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY APPROVES RATIFICATION OF TWO 
COUNTERTERRORISM CONVENTIONS 
 
2.(U)  The press reported that Shura Council voted on March 
22, in favor of Bahrain's ratification of the International 
Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terror and 
the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist 
Bombings.  During discussion of the conventions, newspapers 
reported that some members said that there should be a clear 
definition of what constitutes a terrorist organization.  One 
paper quoted First Vice-Chairman Abdul Rahman Jamsheer as 
saying, "Organizations such as Hamas, for example, are 
considered terrorist organizations by the U.S. and other 
Western countries but not in the Arab World.  A clear 
distinction should be made between groups like Hamas which 
are fighting against occupation and others like Al Qaeda, 
which are involved in international terror and don't enjoy 
popular support in Bahrain or most of the Arab World."  The 
press also reported that Member Faisal Fulad said that steps 
should be taken to protect Islamic banks and institutions, to 
prevent them being victimised and to protect one of the most 
important business sectors in Bahrain. 
 
3.(U) According to the press, Minister of State for Foreign 
Affairs Dr. Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar, who represented the 
government during the debate, said the agreement would not 
prevent aid from reaching people in genuine need.  However, 
he reportedly cautioned that "Bahrain must follow 
international standards when it comes to providing financing 
for the Palestinians or other similar causes because we don't 
want the funds to be used for anything other their intended 
purpose which has happened in the past." 
 
THREE MORE CONVENTIONS SENT TO PARLIAMENT 
 
4.(C) Director of Agreements and Treaties for the Directorate 
of Legal Affairs Jameel al-Alawi (strictly protect) told P/E 
Chief that once he receives the paperwork on the two 
agreements from the National Assembly, his office would 
prepare them for signature by the King.  He did not expect 
this to take long.  Al-Alawi added that the government has 
forwarded to the National Assembly for authorization to 
ratify the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of 
Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons Including 
Agents, the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts 
against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, and the Protocol 
for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of 
fixed Platforms Located on the Contintental Shelf.  Al-Alawi 
said the government has not yet begun the bureaucratic 
process for sending the Convention against the Taking of 
Hostages and the Convention on the Physical Protection of 
Nuclear Material to the parliament for approval to ratify. 
 
NEW COUNTERTERRORISM LAW BEING DRAFTED 
 
5.(C) After the brief on the progress on CT convention 
accession, al-Alawi volunteered out of the blue that he is 
involved in the drafting of a new counterterrorism law that 
is based on the Canadian and South African versions of the 
Commonwealth model counterterrorism law.  Al-Alawi said that 
unlike the Jordanian or Moroccan counterterrorism laws (which 
he said he reviewed and rejected as inadequate models), the 
Commonwealth model is comprehensive in criminalizing every 
offense catalogued in the 12 international CT conventions. 
The government, he said, hopes to have the law ready to go to 
the National Assembly once Bahrain has acceded to all 12 
conventions.  The GOB has adopted this approach, al-Alawi 
said, to forestall parliamentary argument against the law. 
The government believes it will be easier to overcome 
opposition when it can point to the National Assembly's 
previous votes in favor of accession to the conventions. 
 
COMMENT 
6.(C) After months of pressing the GOB to move forward on 
both ratification of the counterterrorism conventions and the 
drafting of counterterrorism legislation, this is welcome 
news, especially if the new counterterrorism law criminalizes 
planning a terrorist act.  END COMMENT. 
FORD