US embassy cable - 04MANAMA1302

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001302 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, S/CT, S/WCI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, ASEC, PGOV, BA 
SUBJECT: MINSTATE ABDUL GHAFFAR DISCUSSES COUNTER-TERRORISM 
LAW, LEGAL CASE OF GITMO DETAINEES 
 
Classified by Charge D'Affaires Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (U) This is an action request; please see paragraph 8. 
 
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Summary 
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2.  (C) The Charge met with Minister of State for Foreign 
Affairs Dr. Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar to discuss the status of 
Bahrain's counter-terrorism law, recent press articles on 
legal cases concerning detainees at Guantanamo, and other 
issues (septels).  Abdul Ghaffar said that he could not pass 
us a copy of the draft CT law because it was still under 
review by the cabinet.  He said it was modeled on UN and 
other international CT conventions.  He noted that the 
cabinet had not yet decided whether the law would be 
presented to parliament as a stand-alone bill or as an 
amendment to the existing criminal code.  The Charge 
emphasized that the United States would continue to work 
closely with Bahrain to combat local, regional, and 
transnational threats to Bahrain's security.  Regarding 
Guantanamo, Abdul Ghaffar noted that British lawyers had 
received permission from the U.S. Supreme Court to visit 
their (British) clients, and the attorneys representing the 
Bahraini detainees reportedly planned to seek similar 
authorization.  End Summary. 
 
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CT Law Still With Cabinet 
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3.  (C) The Charge opened her August 18 meeting with Minister 
of State for Foreign Affairs Abdul Ghaffar by asking about 
the Minister's recent visit to Washington, noting that he had 
offered to deliver a copy of the draft Bahraini 
counter-terrorism law to us during his meeting with S/CT 
Ambassador Black.  Abdul Ghaffar said that he had a very 
productive visit to Washington, and felt that the United 
States and Bahrain were working closely together to identify 
CT issues and share information.  He said that we were facing 
the challenge of terrorism together. 
 
4.  (C) Regarding the law, Abdul Ghaffar stated that it was 
still with the cabinet, and he was unable to give us a copy 
until the cabinet had received input and approval from the 
relevant ministries. He assured the Charge that the United 
States would be happy with the law, saying it was based upon 
UN and other international CT conventions, such as the Arab 
and GCC agreements on combating terrorism.  He said the 
cabinet was still unsure whether it would propose the law as 
a stand-alone bill or as an amendment to the existing 
criminal code.  He noted that gaining parliamentary approval 
for the law would be sensitive, and that the GOB was 
preparing the ground by stressing that a world-class CT law 
was in Bahrain's national interest, and that any shortcomings 
would be harmful to Bahrain's future. 
 
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Continued Vigilance Combating Terrorism 
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5.  (C) The Charge pointed out that terrorist threats can 
emanate from local, regional, and transnational sources.  She 
said that the United States and countries in the region had 
suffered greatly from terrorism, and the United States, like 
the government of Bahrain, wants to be certain that Bahrain 
does not suffer from this scourge.  She pledged our support, 
cooperation and assistance to ensure that the GOB is on top 
of any challenges to the country's security.  Abdul Ghaffar 
responded that Bahrain would remain vigilant and continue to 
cooperate with the U.S. and other friendly countries on CT 
initiatives.  He assured the Charge that there was no 
daylight between the positions of the GOB and the United 
States on combating terrorism.  The Charge noted that a 
strong CT law would enable the GOB to take firm action 
against any elements seeking to disrupt the security 
situation in the country and maintain rule of law. 
 
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Attorney Access to Gitmo Detainees? 
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6.  (C) Abdul Ghaffar related that he had read an article in 
the August 18 edition of Al-Wasat newspaper reporting that 
British lawyers had obtained U.S. Supreme Court authorization 
to meet with their (British) clients, detainees at 
Guantanamo.  The article continued that attorneys from the 
firm Dorsey and Whitney, who represent Bahraini detainees, 
would be requesting similar authorization over the next few 
days.  Abdul Ghaffar indicated that he would undoubtedly be 
asked to follow up on this, and he requested an update from 
us so that he could accurately portray the current 
state-of-play. 
 
7.  (C) Action Request:  Embassy requests information that we 
can share with Abdul Ghaffar on the status of legal cases 
concerning attorney access to Gitmo detainees. 
 
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Comment 
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8.  (C) Abdul Ghaffar clearly understands that both the 
United States and Bahrain have a strong national interest in 
maintaining a stable security environment in Bahrain.  In 
recognition of political reality, he is keeping one eye on 
the legislative hurdles the GOB will face when it presents 
the law to parliament for passage.  The timing and form of 
the law as it is presented to parliament, and the 
government's efforts to gain passage, will bear watching as 
the GOB moves to get on top of the domestic security 
situation.  We will continue to seek a copy of the draft law. 
 End Comment. 
 
ZIADEH