US embassy cable - 05MANAMA1623

UNCLAS MANAMA 001623 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
NEA/ARPI 
USDA/FAS FOR ROBERTS, YOUNG 
USTR FOR DWOSKIN, HAFEMEISTER, BUNTIN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD, ECON, EAGR, EU, BA 
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: WTO DOHA ROUND EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE 
PROPOSAL DEMARCHE 
 
REF: STATE 199861 
 
Sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly.  Not 
for Internet distribution. 
 
1. (U) EconOff November 2 delivered reftel demarche to 
Ministry of Industry and Commerce Director of Foreign Trade 
Relations Abdul Razak Zainalabedin concerning the need to 
encourage greater flexibility from the EU in the wake of the 
October 28 EU agriculture proposal.  He expressed familiarity 
with the topic and said he was awaiting instructions from 
Minister of Industry and Commerce Dr. Hassan Fakhro before 
making a formal statement on Bahrain's position. 
 
2. (SBU) However, Zainalabedin said the Ministry's 
provisional position is one of support for the U.S.  He said 
the GOB is currently evaluating the best means of expressing 
its support and that one possibility might be to issue a 
paper on the subject. 
 
3. (U) Zainalabedin noted that because Bahrain is a net 
importer of agricultural goods, it is likely that sharp 
reductions in world agricultural subsidies would result in 
higher prices to Bahraini consumers of these goods.  He 
emphasized that despite this fact, Bahrain would support the 
U.S. as it has since the 2003 WTO summit in Cancun. 
MONROE