US embassy cable - 05MANAMA1152

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001152 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, PHUM, BA 
SUBJECT: AL WIFAQ LEADERS MEET WITH MINISTER OF INTERIOR 
 
REF: A. MANAMA 1036 
 
     B. MANAMA 943 
     C. MANAMA 885 
 
Classified By: CDA Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (C) Several board members of leading Shi'a opposition 
political society Al Wifaq met with the Minister of Interior 
August 6 and discussed the police role at political 
demonstrations; employment of Bahrainis in the police and 
defense forces; an alleged travel ban on former political 
activists; compensation for victims of torture; and 
independent inspections of the country's prisons.  Though 
their discussion did not result in any concrete agreements, 
both sides praised the meeting as a step towards warmer 
relations between the GOB and the organization. 
 
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Al Wifaq leaders meet with Minister of Interior 
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2.  (SBU) Al Wifaq President Sheikh Ali Salman, Vice 
President Hassan Mushaima, and board members Jawad Fairooz 
(who also serves as Northern Area Municipal Council Vice 
Chairman), Murtada Bader (also Capital Area Municipal Council 
Chairman), and Sakina Al Ekri met with Minister of Interior 
Sheikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa August 6.  Al Wifaq 
issued a statement afterward saying that the "positive and 
honest" meeting resulted in a renewed commitment from both 
sides to promote the national interest.  According to the 
press, the Al Wifaq representatives present told Sheikh 
Rashid that the Ministry of Interior (MOI) normally plays a 
positive role in managing public demonstrations, though 
alleged police abuse at a July 15 rally was out of line and 
should be investigated (Ref A).  The Al Wifaq leaders also 
praised Sheikh Rashid for bringing more Bahrainis, especially 
Bahraini Shi'a, into the police, and encouraged him to 
continue hiring Bahrainis to help improve the unemployment 
situation.  (Note:  As in other Gulf countries, the security 
forces and military employ many (Arab and Sunni Muslim) 
foreigners.  End Note.) 
 
3.  (C) According to press reports, the Al Wifaq 
representatives expressed concern during the meeting that the 
GOB has imposed a travel ban on some political activists. 
Sheikh Rashid asked for a list of the individuals who believe 
they are subject to the travel ban.  The two sides also 
discussed compensation for former political prisoners who 
were allegedly tortured or killed in the 1990s.  GOB 
officials privately told EmbOff that the government is 
willing to consider paying compensation to the victims but 
will not issue a statement of responsibility.  The Al Wifaq 
representatives asked if their society could monitor prisons 
in Bahrain, and the Minister replied that human rights 
organizations - but not political societies - were authorized 
to inspect prisons. 
 
4.  (C) Al Wifaq board member Nizar Al Qari (who did not 
attend the meeting) told Poloff that the meeting was a 
positive move.  He said that if the GOB participates in a 
dialogue with opposition leaders, issues can be taken up in 
offices instead of on the streets.  Al Qari added that by 
bringing more Shi'a youth into the police, the MOI would 
increase stability and decrease radicalism.  He noted that 
Shi'a members of the security forces who were hired in recent 
years have stopped going to hardline mosques and majlises and 
are not active in the opposition anymore.  They are more 
concerned with getting married and buying a car than 
politics.  An MOI representative told EmbOff August 8 that 
the Minister hoped to meet with Al Wifaq representatives 
regularly so that the opposition would have an opportunity to 
express itself and not have to resort to demonstrations. 
 
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Comment 
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5.  (C) The Minister of Interior's meeting with Al Wifaq 
eased some of the tension between the GOB and the opposition. 
 Opposition leaders often say that if they had an open 
dialogue with GOB officials, they would feel much less 
frustrated by political issues.  The Minister's offer to meet 
was a positive step, and Al Wifaq leaders' attendance is much 
more productive than the hostile approach some activists have 
taken in recent weeks.  Unfortunately, a more radicalized 
element in the Shi'a opposition, most prominently personified 
by Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, rejects a true dialogue with the 
government and continues to carry out provocative acts, as 
seen in the June 19 and July 15 unemployment demonstrations 
and the June 29 ceremony held by the Islamic Action Society 
"honoring" coup plotters from the 1980's (reftels). 
 
ZIADEH