US embassy cable - 05MANAMA299

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000299 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI 
STATE PASS USTR JBUNTIN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2015 
TAGS: EAGR, ECON, ETRD, PGOV, PREL, BA 
SUBJECT: MINISTER OF MUNICIPALITIES AND AGRICULTURE 
DISCUSSES REFORM 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) Summary.  Minister of Municipalities and Agriculture 
Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh discussed the free trade agreement and 
municipal, environmental, and economic reform with the 
Ambassador February 28.  Al Saleh told the Saudi Ambassador 
in Bahrain that Saudi Arabia should join the WTO in order to 
participate in the Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA) by 
2013.  The Ministry supports two municipalities' petition to 
parliament to preserve Tubli Bay from further land 
reclamation and protect the environment.  Regarding the 
Economic Reform Workshop opened by the Crown Prince February 
24, Al Saleh said the government criticized itself for the 
first time:  an important step, he noted, in moving forward. 
End Summary. 
 
2.  (C) Free Trade Agreement:  The Ambassador thanked Al 
Saleh for his participation in the FTA negotiations while 
serving as Minister of Commerce (until January 2005).  In the 
context of the FTA, Al Saleh noted he had just met with Saudi 
Ambassador to Bahrain Al Quwaiz and urged Saudi Arabia to 
take the necessary steps to become a member of the WTO in 
order to participate in the U.S.-MEFTA by 2013. 
 
3.  (C) Municipal Reform:  Al Saleh noted the need to upgrade 
municipality services for investors and business people and 
increase cooperation with the Municipal Councils, which were 
created by the 2002 constitution.  He wants to focus on urban 
planning, a discipline, he lamented, that does not exist in 
Bahrain. 
 
4.  (C) Environment:  Tubli Bay, one of three protected areas 
in Bahrain, spans Manama and Isa Town municipal council 
districts.  The bay at one time included 25 square kilometers 
but now measures half that due to land reclamation projects. 
According to Al Saleh, the two Municipal Councils have 
petitioned the lower house of the parliament to stop all 
future development and restore the remaining half of the bay 
to its national condition, a decision the Minister said he 
stands behind.  (Note: the Council of Representatives formed 
a committee to investigate irregularities in the handling of 
Tubli Bay land reclamation.  End Note.) 
 
5.  (C) Economic Reform:  Crown Prince Salman, head of 
Bahrain's Economic Development Board (EDB), opened an 
Economic Reform Workshop February 24.  This second of three 
major workshops aimed at bringing private and public sector 
officials together to discuss reform was a step in the right 
direction, said Al Saleh.  (Note:  The first was September's 
conference on labor reform.  End Note.)  For the first time, 
Al Saleh said the GOB criticized itself, a positive 
development as the government must first admit it has 
problems in order to begin finding solutions. 
MONROE