US embassy cable - 05MANAMA1421

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001421 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/02/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ETRD, KMPI, KWMN, BA, IR, IZ 
SUBJECT: CROWN PRINCE DISCUSSES INTERNAL, EXTERNAL 
SITUATIONS WITH AMBASSADOR 
 
REF: A. MANAMA 1394 
     B. MANAMA 1347 
 
Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
1.  (C) Crown Prince Salman told the Ambassador September 25 
that he was pleased with the closure of the Israel boycott 
office and the prospect of congressional ratification of the 
free trade agreement.  He noted that (then) Foreign Minister 
Shaikh Mohammed had met with the Israeli deputy foreign 
minister on the margins of the UNGA in New York.  The CP had 
met with Iranian President Ahmadinejad, and he characterized 
the new president as a deeply conservative realist who will 
do what is necessary to push his agenda, which included 
expanding Iran's presence in the Gulf.  Shaikh Salman 
expressed concern about progress on the Iraqi constitution 
and hoped that support for the constitution would grow 
following ratification by the people.  He is also worried 
about Iranian meddling inside Iraq.  He commented on the 
resignation of hard-liners from leading Shia opposition 
society Al Wifaq, saying the nature of the relationship 
between the hard-liners and mainstream Al Wifaq members was 
still unclear.  The CP discussed the proposed spring 2006 
conference on women's legal and political rights and provided 
background biographic information on new Foreign Minister 
Shaikh Khalid.  End Summary. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
CP Pleased with Closure of Boycott Office 
----------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (C) In their September 25 meeting, Crown Prince Shaikh 
Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa told the Ambassador that he had 
just returned from New York, where he had addressed the UN 
General Assembly for the first time.  While in New York, 
Finance Minister Shaikh Ahmed had contacted him from 
Washington about ensuring progress on congressional 
ratification of the U.S.-Bahrain free trade agreement.  The 
CP said that he had directed Shaikh Ahmed to close down the 
Israeli boycott office, and the Ambassador confirmed that 
this action had been taken.  Saying he was pleased with this 
development, the CP warned that some members of parliament 
would likely complain loudly about the office's closure when 
parliament returned to session on October 1.  The CP stated 
that (then) Foreign Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al 
Khalifa had met with Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister "in a 
low-key manner" on the margins of the UNGA in New York. 
(Note:  We had not heard news of the meeting from any other 
source, and there has been no press coverage of the meeting.) 
 
--------------------------- 
NY Meeting with Ahmadinejad 
--------------------------- 
 
3.  (C) Shaikh Salman said that he had met with Iranian 
President Ahmadinejad while in New York.  He reported that 
Ahmadinejad told him that "a weak Iraq is a good thing," so 
its neighbors did not need to fear Iraqi aggression.  More 
ominously, Ahmadinejad at the same time said that Iran wanted 
to boost its presence in the Gulf.  The CP stated that 
Ahmadinejad is "not a nice guy," a very direct person who is 
deeply conservative.  Ahmadinejad is a realist who will do 
"what is necessary" to push his agenda.  In the CP's view, 
Ahmadinejad is using the nuclear issue to try to drive a 
wedge in the trans-Atlantic relationship.  Ahmadinejad raised 
the nuclear issue in the meeting, but the CP said they didn't 
discuss it substantively. 
 
------------- 
Iraq Concerns 
------------- 
 
4.  (C) The Crown Prince said the current period was 
"delicate" for Iraq and worrisome.  He hoped that support for 
the constitution would gather momentum after ratification. 
He said he had heard more and more about Iranian interference 
in Iraqi domestic affairs.  Iran had reaped the most 
short-term gains in Iraq.  The CP asked whether the 
international community was willing to allow the formation of 
"an Iranian-backed government" in Iraq and continued Iranian 
meddling. 
 
5.  (C) The CP worried that divisions between the various 
communities inside Iraq could lead to a tenuous relationship 
between the different sectors of the country.  He warned that 
the southern part of the country was becoming increasingly 
conservative, perhaps because of Iranian influence there. 
Iran is paying "thousands" of people in Iraq for their 
support, the Kurds are doing their own thing, and the Sunnis 
are confused about the future.  Echoing his UNGA address, the 
CP said that religion should be above politics, in Iraq and 
elsewhere. 
 
----------------- 
Split in Al Wifaq 
----------------- 
 
6.  (C) In response to the Ambassador's question, Shaikh 
Salman said that Bahrainis had to a great extent accepted the 
new political societies law.  People are getting "sick and 
tired" of all the political posturing in Bahrain.  He noted 
that several hard-liners had split from leading Shia 
opposition society Al Wifaq, and the nature of their future 
relationship with Al Wifaq was still unclear (Ref B).  The CP 
commented that the Bahraini political scene would experience 
an interesting period over the next few years. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Conference on Women's Legal, Political Rights 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
7.  (C) The Ambassador asked about planning for a regional 
conference on women's issues to held in 2006.  The CP 
responded that the conference would likely be held in spring 
2006, as a follow up to the November 2005 Forum for the 
Future conference and at a time when Bahrainis will be 
preparing for municipal and parliamentary elections.  The 
conference will focus on women's legal and political rights, 
and the need for both leadership from above and grassroots 
organization from below.  The CP said that he had asked First 
Lady (his mother) Shaikha Sabika to host the conference under 
the auspices of the Supreme Council for Women.  Former 
Justice Minister Jawad Al Arrayedh, who was instrumental in 
organizing the September 2003 regional Judicial Forum in 
Bahrain, will assist in the planning and implementation of 
the conference. 
 
---------------------------------- 
New Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid 
---------------------------------- 
 
8.  (C) Speaking on the eve of the cabinet reshuffle (Ref A), 
the CP said that new Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid had been 
a second secretary at the Bahraini Embassy in Washington 
before a posting as public affairs director of the CP's 
court, where he had focused on issues related to the dispute 
with Qatar over Hawar island.  Shaikh Khalid has no children, 
but he is very close to his sister Amira's children, who 
currently are students at the DOD Bahrain School and Cornell 
University. 
 
MONROE