US embassy cable - 05MANAMA390

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000390 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2015 
TAGS: PREL, KAWC, OPDC, BA 
SUBJECT: RECEIPT OF DIPLOMATIC NOTE ON BAHRAINI DETAINEES 
AT GTMO 
 
REF: STATE 45507 
 
Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
1.  (U)  Embassy received diplomatic note number 
11/231/2-39138 concerning Bahraini detainees at GTMO from the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs March 16. 
 
Begin Text of Diplomatic Note: 
 
11/231/2-39138 
March 14, 2005 
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs presents its compliments to 
the Embassy of the United States of America in the Kingdom of 
Bahrain and would like to refer to what the American press 
and media circulated recently about the intention of the 
American authorities to move a number of the prisoners at 
Guantanamo to their countries and to release others.  The 
Ministry would like to notify the Embassy that there are six 
citizens of the Kingdom of Bahrain among the prisoners (a 
list of their names is attached).  The Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs would be grateful if the Embassy would inform the 
Ministry about the fate of these citizens and if they are 
among those that the American authorities are going to 
release.  The Kingdom of Bahrain has requested on more than 
one occasion during its follow up on the issue of the 
Bahraini prisoners at Guantanamo that the American 
authorities send them to the Kingdom. 
 
The Ministry avails itself of this opportunity to renew to 
the Embassy of the United States of America the assurance of 
its highest consideration. 
 
End Text. 
 
Begin Text of Attachment: 
 
Abdulla Majed Al-Naimi, detainee number JJJ AEI 
Adel Kamel Hajee, detainee number JFJ 
Essa Al-Merbati, detainee number 0079711-07 
Jumah Mohammed Al-Dossary 
Salman Ebraheem Al-Khalifa, detainee number JJ BDF 
Salah A. Rasool Ali Al-Bloushi, detainee number JJJ BB G 
 
End text. 
 
2.  (U) Embassy understands that the Bahraini Embassy in 
Washington delivered a parallel note to the Department March 
15.  We seek Department's guidance on a response. 
 
3.  (C) As described septel, in response to reftel offer for 
DOD to lead an interagency team to Bahrain to discuss 
Bahraini detainees at GTMO, we note that local press coverage 
regarding detainees at GTMO has been heavy recently.  The 
March 16 Bahrain Tribune ran a banner headline article saying 
that Bahraini detainees at GTMO could be released soon 
following "great advances" in GOB negotiations with U.S. 
authorities, according to Ministry of Interior Acting Chief 
of Legal Affairs Col. Mohammed Rashid Buhumood.  Bahrain's 
newspapers prominently covered a March 11 New York Times 
article claiming that the Pentagon seeks to transfer more 
than half of the detainees to the custody of foreign 
governments.  In addition, the Gulf Daily News ran a 
four-part series March 12-15 on alleged mistreatment of 
Bahraini detainee Juma Al Dossary and Abdulla Majid Al 
Nuaimi.  According to the articles, the source of the 
information was the American lawyer representing the Bahraini 
detainees, Dorsey and Whitney attorney Joshua 
Colangelo-Bryan, who visited GTMO in October 2004 and plans 
to visit again shortly.  If the interagency team visits 
Bahrain, it should address the future of Bahraini detainees 
at GTMO, whether they will be released, under what 
conditions, and if not, then why not. 
 
MONROE