US embassy cable - 05MANAMA340

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000340 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/IPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2015 
TAGS: PREL, EAID, KPAL, BA 
SUBJECT: SHAIKH MOHAMMED PRAISES LONDON MEETING, ABU 
MAZEN'S PERFORMANCE 
 
 
Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) Foreign Minister/Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh 
Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa told the Ambassador March 7 
that the March 1 London conference for assistance to the 
Palestinians was a great success.  In a meeting covering 
several topics (septels), Shaikh Mohammed said that the focus 
of the conference was on moving forward -- developing the 
Palestinian Authority's capacity to run a state, and 
achieving progress on the roadmap now that it is "on the 
table."  He appreciated his discussion with the Secretary on 
the margins of the conference and said he had invited her to 
visit Bahrain.  He stated that the Secretary gave a very 
positive speech using balanced language. 
 
2.  (C) Abu Mazen was very impressive at the conference, 
Shaikh Mohammed said.  He has a clear vision, is realistic, 
wants peace, and is working for his people to have a 
respectable life.  Abu Mazen used the same language both 
publicly and privately, saying that the bombers are working 
against both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.  Shaikh 
Mohammed worried that extremists might try to harm Abu Mazen 
because of his efforts. 
 
3.  (C) The Ambassador responded that it was important for 
the Arabs to publicly support Abu Mazen and to provide 
financial assistance.  Shaikh Mohammed stated that the Arabs 
want to see a signal that Israel will respect official aid. 
He claimed that many times Arab donors have witnessed Israel 
destroying projects funded with Arab money.  He said that 
Bahrain previously gave $3 million in assistance to the 
Palestinians, and he had announced at the conference 
Bahrain's offer to provide technical assistance to the 
Palestinian financial sector and future training at the 
G-8/BMENA Entrepreneurship Center.  Palestinian Finance 
Minister Fayyad personally thanked Shaikh Mohammed, saying, 
"we want people to teach us to fish, not just give us fish." 
 
4.  (C) Shaikh Mohammed said that at the Arab League (AL) 
Foreign Ministers meeting in Cairo following the London 
conference, Syrian Foreign Minister Sharaa made a statement 
about the Israel-Palestinian situation.  Shaikh Mohammed said 
it was like Sharaa was "living in the past," and he 
challenged Sharaa, confronting him with Abu Mazen's own 
words.  This was quite different from the type of discourse 
during Arafat's time, Shaikh Mohammed commented. 
 
5.  (C) Shaikh Mohammed said that he and his Tunisian and 
Algerian counterparts (the "troika" of former, current, and 
future AL chairs) met with the Iraqi Under Secretary for 
Foreign Affairs at the AL meeting about developing a 
favorable resolution on Iraq for the upcoming AL Summit in 
Algiers.  He is confident the outcome will be positive.  He 
told the Ambassador that King Hamad will lead the Bahraini 
delegation in Algiers, not Crown Prince Salman as had been 
announced previously. 
 
MONROE