US embassy cable - 04MANAMA572

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000572 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/IPA, NEA/ARP, INL/G/TIP, AND PM 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2014 
TAGS: PREL, BA 
SUBJECT: FEISTY FOREIGN MINISTER FLAGS NECESSITY OF 
CONSENSUS APPROACH TO ACHIEVE MIDDLE EAST PEACE TO NEA A/S 
BURNS 
 
REF: MANAMA (KING CABLE) 
 
Classified By: CDA Robert S. Ford for reasons 1.4(b)(d). 
 
SUMMARY 
 
1.(C) A feistier than usual Foreign Minister Shaikh Muhammad 
bin Mubarak Al Khalifa stressed on April 20 to NEA A/S Burns 
that the U.S. refashion consensus on the peace process.  He 
very pointedly stated that the U.S. needs to package its 
initiatives better to glean greater Arab support for them. 
Embarrassing key Arab leaders like Mubarak and Saudi Crown 
Prince Abdullah can have implications beyond the peace 
process, like on Iraq policy.  Shaikh Muhammad seemed 
optimistic that the Arab League Summit might be able to 
revive the Arab peace plan and issue a statement on regional 
reform.  The Bahrainis would publicly endorse reform, he 
assured.  On FTA-related bilateral issues, an uncomfortable 
Shaikh Muhammad pledged action on the Article 98 agreement 
"soon," assured A/S Burns of Bahrain's commitment to fight 
trafficking in persons, and promised to investigate a recent 
spike in Arab League Boycott clauses in GOB and parastatal 
contracts. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
U.S. NEEDS IMPROVED PEACE PROCESS PACKAGING 
 
2.(C) A feistier than normal Foreign Minister emphasized to 
NEA A/S Burns that the U.S. needs to refashion consensus on 
the peace process in the wake of the President's announcement 
that he supports Prime Minister Sharon's Gaza withdrawal 
initiative.  Shaikh Muhammad welcomed the news that the 
Secretary would meet in early May with the Quartet to reach 
 
SIPDIS 
consensus on incorporating the Gaza withdrawal into the 
roadmap and to start preparations on programming to help the 
Palestinian Authority take control of Gaza.  He also was 
pleased by A/S Burns's assurance that we will need the U.N. 
and the World Bank to provide large scale assistance to the 
PA starting the day after it takes over authority in Gaza. 
The U.S. must rebuild the PA's capacity to govern and its 
ability to be a credible partner for peace.  Bahrain, he 
stated emphatically, cannot make peace with Israel until the 
Palestinians do so. 
 
3.(C) The Foreign Minister stressed that the U.S. needs to 
improve its packaging of the peace process.  The President's 
endorsement of an Israeli plan at a time when the Israelis 
are assassinating Palestinian leaders only inflames Arabs 
against the U.S.  Embarrassing Mubarak and surprising Crown 
Prince Abdullah doesn't build sympathy for the U.S. either. 
This has major implications for Arab support for the U.S. in 
Iraq and other issues, he underscored. 
 
ARAB LEAGUE SUMMIT LOOKAHEAD 
 
4.(C) Shaikh Muhammad assured A/S Burns that Arab leaders are 
trying to resuscitate the Arab peace proposal for the Tunis 
Summit.  However, he expected that the Shaikh Yassin and 
Rantissi killings will make it hard to gain consensus. 
Everyone, he noted, remembers the last time an Arab Summit 
presented a peace plan; Sharon attacked Jenin. 
 
5.(C) Responding to A/S Burns's hope that the G-8 could issue 
a statement of support for Middle East reform echoing an Arab 
League statement, Shaikh Muhammad said that Bahrain agrees 
with the philosophy of a new Middle East.  He affirmed that 
Bahrain would make a statement at the summit in support of 
reform.  However, the Foreign Minister cautioned that the 
pace of reform will differ from country to country.  He urged 
patience with Saudi Arabia.  It's society is very different 
from the rest of the region, and the KSA is facing serious 
threats from internal terrorism. 
 
BILATERAL ISSUES - ARTICLE 98, TIP, AND ARAB LEAGUE BOYCOTT 
 
6.(C) Keying off Shaikh Muhammad's request that we conclude 
and bring into force the FTA by the end of this year, A/S 
Burns noted three outstanding bilateral issues that could 
have implications on congressional FTA approval -- the 
Article 98 Agreement, Trafficking in Persons, and the Arab 
League Boycott.  A/S Burns asked Shaikh Muhammad how quickly 
we could move forward on ratification of Article 98.  Clearly 
uncomfortable, Shaikh Muhammad responded "soon."  On 
trafficking in persons, A/S Burns emphasized that Congress is 
now demanding statistics on enforcement of anti-trafficking 
legislation, and he urged the Minister to provide as much 
information as possible about concrete actions like 
prosecutions and convictions of traffickers to the Embassy. 
Shaikh Muhammad responded that Bahrain is fully engaged on 
this issue, had just issued a brochure on worker rights to 
migrant workers in the Kingdom and was following up on other 
key actions.  Surprised by the news about the increase in 
boycott requests from Bahraini entities, Shaikh Muhammad 
noted that Bahrain had changed its laws on the boycott years 
ago and promised to investigate the matter immediately. 
 
COMMENT 
 
7.(C) The Foreign Minister and the GOB want to help with the 
peace process and with the regional reform.  Most Bahraini 
leaders believe that more freedom and increased economic 
activity within the region will produce more stability and 
security.  However, Bahrain can't do much more than lead 
reform by example.  Shaikh Muhammad was clear that it will 
not be a leader on the peace process; hence his encouragement 
to re-establish consensus among the major Arab leaders on the 
peace process and to increase U.N. and European activity. 
 
8.(U) A/S Burns cleared this cable. 
FORD