US embassy cable - 04MANAMA1708

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 001708 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR D, NEA, DS, S/CT, PM 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2014 
TAGS: PREL, MARR, ASEC, PTER, BA, IZ 
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY MEETING WITH KING HAMAD 
 
REF: MANAMA 1671 
 
Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (S) The Deputy Secretary met with King Hamad November 7 
to discuss Bahrain's counter-terrorism efforts, the situation 
in Iraq, and Bahrain's relations with its neighbors.  The 
King opened the meeting with a surprise proposal to commit a 
company of special forces troops to Afghanistan as part of 
the UAE contingent there.  The King offered to travel to 
Washington within the next few weeks to develop the proposal. 
 The Deputy Secretary expressed his concern about the court's 
November 1 release of the four terrorism suspects.  The King 
replied that the case was a real problem for him; the GOB 
could not control the court.  He added that the government 
had taken Yasser Kamal, one of the four suspects, back into 
custody on charges related to his September flight from the 
courtroom following a hearing.  He will be prosecuted on 
these charges.  The Deputy Secretary stressed that it was 
important for Bahrain to do everything legally possible to 
prosecute the four.  The King said the government was 
monitoring the suspects closely.  On Iraq, the Deputy 
Secretary reported that Prime Minister Allawi was ready to 
 
SIPDIS 
attack Fallujah.  A joint U.S.-Iraqi force would carry out 
the operation.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (C) The Deputy Secretary, accompanied by the Ambassador, 
NEA Assistant Secretary Burns, PM DAS Bue, and Pol/Econ chief 
(notetaker), met with King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa on 
November 7.  Also attending from the Bahraini side was Crown 
Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister and 
Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Defense 
Minister LTG Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, and Minister of 
State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar. 
 
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Bahraini Special Forces to Afghanistan 
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3. (C) The King opened the meeting by congratulating the 
President on winning reelection and emphasizing Bahrain's 
eagerness to further strengthen the bilateral relationship. 
He stated that in response to the President's call for unity 
in the face of global terrorism, Bahrain is ready to commit a 
company of special forces troops to Afghanistan as part of 
the UAE force.  The King said he had spoken to Abu Dhabi 
Crown Prince and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Shaikh Mohammed 
bin Zayed Al Nahyan about this and he had agreed to host, 
support, and transport the Bahraini troops. 
 
4.  (C) The Deputy Secretary thanked the King for the offer, 
stating that that the President would be grateful for 
Bahrain's participation in the OEF coalition.  He noted that 
the Emirati contingent had taken some casualties and the 
Bahrainis would be exposed to danger.  The King understood 
and asked whether he should visit Washington soon to develop 
the idea.  (Note:  In a November 8 follow-up discussion on 
this point, Abdul Ghaffar passed along the King's proposal 
that the King visit Washington within the next few weeks. 
See septel.  End Note.)  The Deputy Secretary assured the 
King that he was welcome in Washington.  The Deputy Secretary 
said that he would discuss the proposal with U.S. commanders 
in Afghanistan, where he would travel this week. 
 
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Concern About Counter-Terrorism Efforts 
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5.  (S) The Deputy Secretary commented that troops on the 
ground in Afghanistan could make Bahrain into a bigger target 
for terrorists.  The King replied that the Bahraini people 
trust his judgment and would understand the measure in the 
context of Bahrain's reform program. 
6.  (S) Continuing on the subject of counter-terrorism, the 
Deputy Secretary expressed his concern about the court's 
November 1 release of the four terrorism suspects, 
particularly Yasser Kamal, who had fled the courtroom 
following a September hearing.  While respecting the 
separation of powers, the Deputy Secretary said that the 
release was a real problem for us. 
 
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Rearrest of One Suspect 
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7.  (S) The King stated that he did not know how to solve 
this problem.  Bahrain no longer had a state security law 
permitting extended detention of suspects.  The government 
now had to allow the courts to act as they see fit.  Rule of 
law is important.  He acknowledged that the suspects could be 
dangerous, but asserted that they drew no support from the 
Bahraini people, who condemned them for considering killing 
civilians.  There had been no demonstrations in support of 
the suspects.  He confessed that he had become mad when the 
court released them, and said that the government was 
monitoring them closely. 
 
8.  (S) Crown Prince Salman pointed out that the GOB could 
not control the judge if he decided at a later date that the 
prosecution had no case against the suspects.  He stated his 
understanding that the primary U.S. interest was the arrest 
and detention of the four, which would disrupt their 
planning.  This had been achieved.  When Kamal fled the 
courtroom in September, the CP said, "it was a gift from God" 
as it gave the prosecution a concrete offense to charge him 
with.  The King said that the GOB had taken Kamal back into 
custody on these grounds following his November 1 release. 
 
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All Legal Means to Prosecute 
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9.  (S) The Deputy Secretary stressed that it was important 
for both Bahrain and the U.S. that the GOB do everything 
legally possible to prosecute the suspects.  There were 
questions about whether Bahrain was doing all it could in 
this regard.  The GOB should stay in touch with us on this 
case.  The Deputy Secretary warned that there could be 
implications for the (DOD) Bahrain School.  He said that he 
strongly advocated continued USG support for the school.  It 
would not be a good thing if the suspects disappeared.  The 
King said that U.S. troops had been shot at in many countries 
in the Gulf and Middle East regions, but not in Bahrain. 
Bahrain had participated in defending Kuwait and was helping 
on Iraq.  Bahrain does the right thing on Gulf security.  He 
assured the Deputy Secretary that Bahrain would be there for 
the U.S. 
 
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Yawar Appreciation for U.S. Role 
-------------------------------- 
 
10.  (C) In response to the Deputy Secretary's question, the 
King said that Iraqi President Yawar was still in Bahrain, 
spending time with family members visiting from Saudi Arabia. 
 The King said that he had met with Yawar twice and hosted 
him for dinner.  Yawar intends to visit Washington at the end 
of November.  President Yawar is confident he is doing the 
right thing in Iraq, and recognizes there would be no way to 
make progress without the United States.  The King reported 
that he told Yawar Bahrain will host the GCC summit in 
December, and the King would like to deliver something for 
Iraq. 
 
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Fallujah Strike Coming 
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11.  (C) The Deputy Secretary indicated that he had met with 
Prime Minister Allawi during his visit to Iraq.  Allawi is 
fed up and is ready to strike Fallujah.  A sizable military 
force of MNF and Iraqi troops are poised to enter the city. 
Allawi believes that the IIG must move to confront the 
insurgents, as dialogue and negotiations have not succeeded. 
Regarding elections, the King questioned whether they had to 
take place in January.  He thought that the timing was not as 
important as holding good elections.  The Deputy Secretary 
said that the insurgents would treat a delay as a victory. 
The Deputy Secretary noted comments by Grand Ayatollah 
Sistani which suggest that the Ayatollah advocates democracy 
and participation in the elections, but not support for an 
Iranian style government. 
 
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Some Friction with Saudi Arabia 
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12.  (C) The Deputy Secretary asked about the reactions of 
Gulf states to Bahrain's participation in the G8 Summit in 
Sea Island, Georgia last June and leadership role in the 
Broader Middle East/North Africa initiative.  The King 
replied that while he was careful to speak favorably in 
public about other GCC countries at the summit, they were 
clearly unhappy about Bahrain's prominence.  Though not 
necessarily connected, the King mentioned that there had been 
some friction recently with Saudi Arabia on the economic 
front.  He noted that the SAG had recently stopped a gift of 
50,000 barrels per day of oil.  (Note:  The King sent the 
Crown Prince to Saudi Arabia in the past few days to discuss 
this issue.  End Note.) 
 
MONROE