US embassy cable - 05MANAMA1668

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001668 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM, KMPI, EAID, PGOV, PREL, PHUM, BA, AF, CA, JA, PK, TU, OVIP(RICE CONDOLEEZZA) 
SUBJECT: FORUM FOR THE FUTURE:  MINISTERIAL OPENING AND 
CLOSING SESSIONS 
 
 
1.  (U) November 12, 2005; 9:00 a.m., Manama, Bahrain. 
 
2.  (U) Participants: G8 and BMENA Foreign Ministers 
 
Speakers: 
Secretary Rice 
 
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Bahrain FM Shaikh Khalid Al-Khalifa 
Moroccan FM Benaissa 
UK Foreign Secretary Straw 
Jordan Planning Minister Al-Ali 
Russia Deputy Foreign Minister Saltanov 
 
Peter Mulrean, Kirk Wolcott (notetakers) 
 
3.  (U) SUMMARY.  The Ministerial Session of the second Forum 
for the Future, held November 12 in Manama, opened with 
statements from Secretary Rice and Foreign Ministers from the 
UK, Morocco, and host government Bahrain, noting progress 
made since last December's Forum and the need to continue 
working together to foster vital reforms throughout the 
region.  The Secretary expressed the main theme of this 
year's Forum when she stressed the importance of partnership 
with civil society and praised the participation of 40 civil 
society representatives, compared to just five in last year's 
gathering.  Jordan announced it will host the third Forum, 
scheduled for next year.  And Russia, as the incoming G8 
President, closed out the event by encouraging others to 
continue building on the reform agenda in the Broader Middle 
East and North Africa (BMENA) region, using proposals from 
this year's Forum as the way forward. END SUMMARY. 
 
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Bahrain FM Al-Khalifa 
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4.  (U) Bahraini FM Al-Khalifa opened the meeting by stating 
that the Forum for the Future represents fundamental human 
values and that the objective of the gathering was to 
reaffirm support for reform throughout the region.  Bahrain 
had made progress in political, economic and social areas and 
had included civil society in the reform process.  To ensure 
the success of reforms, societies must recognize the 
importance of empowering women and respecting human rights. 
Acknowledging that every country has specific political and 
cultural circumstances, Al-Khalifa nonetheless called on all 
countries to do their utmost to move forward on these common 
objectives.  Stability and peace are fundamental to progress, 
and reform is "on the move" in Iraq. He announced that Jordan 
had agreed to host next year's Forum for the Future 
conference. 
 
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UK FS Straw 
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5.  (U) UK FS Straw stated that since change in the region 
would benefit all, it must be driven by all. There are three 
keys to ensuring the success of reforms:  first, including 
civil society in the process; second, providing quality 
education to all citizens; and third, establishing inclusive 
government. Developments in the region over the past year 
represent a gradual shift towards democracy in the region. 
The issues on the agenda of the Forum would have been taboo 
for discussion only a few years ago.  He stated his hope that 
the EU's Barcelona process would take concrete steps in 
support of these priority issues at the Ministerial meeting 
later this month. 
 
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Moroccan FM Benaissa 
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6.  (U) Moroccan FM Benaissa stated that G8 and BMENA 
partners must move forward hand-in-hand on the full range of 
issues under discussion. Respecting countries, individual 
circumstances is important, but the Forum puts the individual 
at the center of reform efforts. All partners should take 
concrete reform steps, keeping the respect for human rights 
and the rule of law as the basis for action.  The Democracy 
Assistance Dialogue (DAD) meeting in September and the 
creation of Entrepreneurship Centers in Morocco (and Bahrain) 
are examples of the GOM's progress on BMENA initiatives over 
the past year. The region still suffers from violence and 
bloodshed, however, and regional disputes must be resolved. 
 
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The Secretary 
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7. (U) The Secretary expressed outrage and condolences to 
both Jordan and other countries that had lost citizens in the 
recent bombings in Amman. This serves as a reminder that 
there are those who have a very different vision of the 
future for the region than Forum participants do. There has 
been "tremendous expansion of liberty in the Greater Middle 
East" since the Forum in Rabat last year, including 
Palestinian and Egyptian elections and the people of Lebanon 
rising up to drive Syrians out of their country. The U.S. 
supports the people of Syria and calls for the release of 
detained opposition figures, including Kamal Labwani. 
 
8. (U) Referring to underlying principles of democracy, the 
Secretary stressed that the road to achieving these is 
 
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difficult, as America's own experience demonstrates. A 
partnership with civil society is important, as is 
demonstrated by the participation of 40 civil society 
representatives in this year's Forum, as opposed to five in 
last year's. The Forum should transcend differences and 
reaffirm the universal support for democracy. The people of 
the region are making this goal seem inevitable. 
 
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Closing Session 
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9.  (U) Representatives from Jordan, as the host of the next 
Forum for the Future in 2006, and Russia, as the next holder 
of the G8 Presidency, made closing remarks supporting 
continuation of the reform process.  Minister Al-Ali said 
that the Forum has gained momentum since its inception in 
2004, most notably in the participation this year of a wide 
range of NGOs not permitted during the first Forum in 
Morocco, as well as the cooperative atmosphere of 
constructive dialogue that has developed between civil 
society and governments since then.  To maintain this 
momentum, Jordan proposed to host an interim Senior Officials 
Meeting before the next Forum to examine progress on 
proposals put forward by the delegates in Bahrain. 
 
10.  (U) Russian Deputy FM Saltanov said his country would 
continue supporting the BMENA reform agenda. Two specific 
problems, however, need to be overcome to ensure continued 
progress in the future: first, unsettled conflicts, such as 
those in Iraq, Israel/Palestinians, and Lebanon/Syria; and 
second, the ongoing transformation of the BMENA region with 
respect to the wider globalization process. G8 countries 
should continue providing assistance, both financially and 
through a series of reform programs, such as those 
encapsulated in the Forum for the Future process. 
 
MONROE