US embassy cable - 05MANAMA1261

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001261 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
DEPT FOR DS/IP/NEA, DS/IP/ITA, NEA/ARPI, S/CT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2015 
TAGS: ASEC, BA, PGOV, PHUM, PTER 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES SECURITY ISSUES WITH INTERIOR 
MINISTER SHAIKH RASHID 
 
REF: A. MANAMA 435 
     B. MANAMA 484 
     C. STATE 143881 
     D. MANAMA 1152 
     E. MANAMA 1036 
     F. MANAMA 943 
     G. MANAMA 885 
     H. MANAMA 585 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
. 
 
1. (SBU) Begin summary:  The Ambassador advised Minister of 
Interior Shaikh Rashid August 24 that the USG had 
provisionally allocated USD 1 million in CT funding for 
Bahrain, particularly in support of the planned Joint 
Counterterrorism Center (JCTC), and needed to discuss 
proposals on how to use this money.   The Ambassador noted 
USG concern with the level of force used by police in two 
demonstrations during the summer.  Shaikh Rashid said that 
the police, provoked by the demonstrators, had in fact 
responded with restraint and contained the demonstrations 
without resorting to more drastic crowd control measures such 
as tear gas or rubber bullets.   The Minister expressed 
concern about the situation in Iran and Iraq, and its 
potential impact on the region.   End summary. 
 
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JOINT COUNTER TERRORISM CENTER 
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2. (SBU) The Ambassador met on August 24 with Minister of 
Interior Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa to discuss 
several security related issues in Bahrain and to introduce 
newly-arrived RSO Keith Swinehart.  The Ambassador began by 
discussing the Joint Counter Terrorism Center (JCTC), 
sometimes referred to as the Counter Terrorism Operation 
Center (CTOC), and reported that the State Department  has 
advised post of the tentative approval of USD 1 million to 
support the stand-up the proposed JCTC in Bahrain (ref c). 
The funds come from  the Emergency Supplemental 
Appropriations Act for Defense which provides support and 
assistance to key partners in the Global War on Terror 
(GWOT).  To proceed, the Ambassador stated, we will need 
specific information on the proposed uses for these funds. 
 
3.  (SBU) Shaikh Rashid expressed his gratitude for the 
funding, welcoming this proposed new cooperation between our 
two governments in the area of counterterrorism.  He stated 
that his staff continued the difficult and sensitive task of 
identifying senior and skeletal staff for the JCTC and were 
awaiting the return (in the next week or two) of General 
Abdul Latif Rashid Al-Zayani, the Chief of Public Security, 
to finalize proposals in the coming weeks.  He asked that the 
RSO meet with General Al-Zayani as soon as possible to 
follow-up on the JCTC and the proposed funds. 
 
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DEALING WITH  DEMONSTRATIONS 
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4. (C) The Ambassador congratulated the Minister for his 
efforts in the development of the JCTC and emphasized the 
continued need to further develop a professional security 
force reflective of Bahrain's diversity.  In that connection, 
however, he expressed U.S. concern over the level of force 
that was used in two demonstrations last summer in which some 
demonstrators were beaten.   While it was recognized the 
protesters may have provoked the police actions, the security 
forces in fact  played into the hands of the demonstrators, 
who were able to distribute pictures abroad of the bruised 
demonstrators, raising questions about Bahrain's commitment 
to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression.    The 
Ambassador noted that Shaikh Rashid had met with Al-Wifaq 
leaders,  including Shaikh Ali Salman, to discuss the role of 
Bahraini security forces at these recent political 
demonstrations and employment opportunities within the police 
and defense forces (ref d, e, f and g), and asked for the 
Minister's thoughts about the meeting. 
 
5.  (C) Shaikh Rashid called the meeting with Ali Salman 
highly successful and a positive step forward.   He stated 
that it was important to deal with such issues in a fair 
manner without disrupting the security and stability of the 
country.  Shaikh Rashid said that in general  the scheduled 
and approved protests have been handled well, noting that 
there have been no mass arrests and in fact limited use of 
force.  In the two cases where force was used, the police in 
fact performed with restraint.    Given the close proximity 
of the protesters and security personnel, and the fact that 
injuries were sustained by police officials confronting a 
protest gathering not approved by the government, the police 
were simply forced to deal with the situation.  The situation 
could have been much worse had the police resorted to use of 
tear gas or rubber bullets (which were not used).   He added 
that while improvements can be made through increased 
training, we must understand the situation on the ground. 
 
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CONCERNS OF EXTERNAL THREATS 
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6. (C)  Shaikh Rashid asserted that at this point he was less 
concerned with internal events, which he believed were under 
control, than  with external events.  He observed that events 
in both Iraq and Iran had the potential to cause significant 
instability in the region and needed to be handled carefully. 
 He was concerned that the continued uncertainty in Iraq ("we 
need to see results") and the potential threat posed by the 
Iranian nuclear program would have a negative impact on Gulf 
states, especially those with a large U.S. presence.  He 
expressed concern about the new administration in Iran as 
well  the growing Iranian influence in southern Iraq, 
believing the world was not receiving an accurate picture of 
the situation there. 
 
7.  (C)  Shaikh Rashid stated Bahraini officials immediately 
enacted contingency plans in response to recent attacks 
against U.S. military interests in the Gulf of Aqaba. 
Emphasizing the importance of continued cooperation, he 
stressed the need to establish mechanisms for quicker 
exchange of intelligence within the region to handle 
potential threats in the future.  The Ambassador agreed the 
regional situation was an evolving one and assured the 
Minister of the U.S. government's firm commitment to strong 
security cooperation between our two countries and our 
support for improved communication within the region. 
 
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STATUS OF AN EXPAT SHELTER 
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8. (SBU)  The Ambassador asked about the status of the 
GOB-supported shelter for expatriate workers in distress. 
Shaikh Rashid advised that his office continues to work with 
Minister of Social Affairs Al Belooshi on the establishment 
of the shelter.  He understood that Minister Al-Belooshi was 
working on identifying a temporary facility to rent while a 
permanent site was built.   The Ambassador reiterated the 
importance of moving forward on the shelter as quickly as 
possible, and urged that  the Minister continue to give his 
full support for the shelter. 
MONROE