US embassy cable - 05MANAMA361

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000361 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, PGOV, PHUM, KDEM, BA 
SUBJECT: BAHRAINI LEADERS DISCUSS REFORM AND IRAN WITH 
NEA/ARPI DIRECTOR MISENHEIMER 
 
REF: A. MANAMA 270 
 
     B. MANAMA 228 
     C. MANAMA 164 
     D. MANAMA 111 
     E. 04 MANAMA 1878 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
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Summary 
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1. (C) GOB officials expressed their commitment to continued 
political and economic reform in the kingdom and advocated a 
diplomatic solution to the disagreement with Iran over its 
nuclear program in meetings with visiting NEA/ARPI Director 
Alan Misenheimer February 21. Members of parliament also 
indicated their commitment to reform, and added that 
opposition societies seeking to amend the constitution should 
engage parliament on the matter instead of taking their 
concerns to the king or the international community.  The 
parliamentarians were fairly confident that the societies 
which boycotted the 2002 parliamentary elections would 
participate in the 2006 elections, but said ultimately the 
majority of the boycotters would do whatever Bahrain's 
leading Shi'a clerics advised. 
 
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Finance Minister Discusses Economic Reforms and Iran 
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2.  (C) During a meeting with Minister of Finance Sheikh 
Ahmed bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, the Minister stressed that 
economic progress means nothing unless it creates a better 
standard of living for all people.  Helping Bahrainis is the 
number one reason for the GOB's plans to unveil new 
strategies relating to labor, the economy, and education this 
year.  Reform is challenging and sometimes painful, but in 
the long run it is absolutely necessary and good for the 
kingdom.  On Iran, the Minister said Bahrain had experienced 
ups and downs in its relationship with its neighbor, but that 
for now Iran is not creating any problems in the Gulf. 
(Note: This assessment is at variance with the GOB's 
increasing concern with Iran's influence locally, Ref A.) 
Competing groups in Iran are vying for influence, and a 
hardline U.S. position only strengthens support for extremist 
elements.  He advocated giving Iranians more time to sort out 
their issues internally. 
 
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MFA Undersecretary Comments on Terrorism and Iran 
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3.  (C) Ministry of Foreign Affairs Assistant Undersecretary 
for Coordination and Follow Up Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Mubarak 
Al Khalifa told Misenheimer that although terrorist attacks 
are always a possibility, Bahrain is in a better situation 
than its neighbors.  Misenheimer mentioned the case of the 
terrorist suspects currently on trial in Bahrain and 
emphasized the need for Bahrain to send a strong message on 
combating terrorism.  On Iran, Sheikh Abdul Aziz commented 
that the IAEA should play a more prominent role, and urged 
the USG to wait until it had verifiable information before 
making conclusions on Iran.  Bahrain currently enjoys a good 
relationship with Iran, and he hoped the USG would consult 
Bahrain before taking big decisions with regard to Iran. 
Sheikh Abdul Aziz affirmed his support for a diplomatic 
solution to problems with Iran, and said the U.S. should 
carefully consider the regional consequences of a military 
attack. 
 
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Lively Discussion on Domestic Affairs 
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4.  (C) During a lunch hosted by the DCM, the Ambassador, 
Misenheimer, and PolOff engaged three Shura Council members 
and two Council of Representatives (COR) members in a 
discussion on domestic issues.  The parliamentarians were 
united in their view that participants in the recent 
conference on constitutional reform should take their issues 
to parliament instead of appealing directly to the king (Ref 
B).  They noted that some activists were seeking 
international support on the constitutional issue, and 
emphasized that it is an internal matter and should be 
treated as such. 
 
5.  (C) The parliamentarians unanimously called for full 
Bahraini participation in next year's elections.  They noted 
a growing interest within Al Wifaq and other boycotting 
societies to participate in the 2006 elections, but commented 
that ultimately many Shi'a will follow the advice of their 
religious leaders (Ref D).  They worried, however, that if Al 
Wifaq and other boycotting societies decide to recommend that 
their members participate in the elections, the parliament 
could be full of people who will focus on religion instead of 
reform and economic growth.  They said Bahrain is not ready 
for a totally elected parliament, agreeing that the appointed 
Shura Council provides a needed balance to religious factions 
in the Council of Representatives (COR). 
 
6.  (C) The parliamentarians discussed the possibility of a 
quota for women in the 2006 elections.  Dr. Bahiya Al Jishi, 
one of six women appointed to the Shura Council, was against 
the quota on legal grounds.  COR member Fareed Ghazi said 
women can win seats in the election without a quota, and the 
others agreed.  Several parliamentarians noted that some of 
the more religious political societies should take a firm 
stand in support of women as candidates. 
 
7.  (C) On the closure of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights 
(BCHR), most of the parliamentarians agreed that human rights 
organizations in Bahrain are more effective when they play a 
less political role (Ref C).  They commented that human 
rights activists should push for reform, but not in a way 
that creates controversy.  They said that BCHR board member 
Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja, who was arrested in September 2004 
following a speech against the Prime Minister, crossed the 
line.  Shura Council member Faisal Fouladh, who recently 
helped establish the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society, 
argued that the GOB turned Al Khawaja into a hero by 
arresting him and created an enormous amount of negative 
international press on Bahrain (Ref E).  He said the GOB 
should take a more tolerant view of human rights groups in 
the future. 
MONROE