IRAQI AMBASSADOR PROCLAIMS ALLAWI VISIT A SUCCESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 001229

SIPDIS

NOFORN

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP
LONDON FOR ETHAN GOLDRICH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2014
TAGS: PREL EINV BA IZ
SUBJECT: IRAQI AMBASSADOR PROCLAIMS ALLAWI VISIT A SUCCESS

REF: MANAMA 1228

Classified By: CDA Susan Ziadeh, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

(C/NF) 1. SUMMARY: In an August 4 meeting with CDA, Iraqi
Ambassador to Bahrain Ghassan Hussein stressed Bahrain's
great show of solidarity with Iraq, a stance also underscored
in positive GoB-sanctioned local media reports. According to
the Ambassador, Iraqi PM Allawi's unannounced seven-hour stop
in Bahrain on August 2 was to discuss with the King and Prime
Minister Bahrain's support for Iraq's security and stability
through training and investment, while ministers in the
delegation held bilateral meetings with their Bahraini
counterparts. Iraq and Bahrain continue to cooperate on
finance training, and will add civil defense training soon.
He noted that Bahrain may have backpedaled on a offer to send
Bahraini Naval support, suggesting instead to provide
training in Bahrain for Iraqi naval forces. The Ambassador
concluded saying Bahrain and Iraq pledged to encourage
private sector investment initiatives to support Iraq's
reconstruction. END SUMMARY.

(C/NF) 2. Iraqi Ambassador to Bahrain Ghassan Hussein
provided CDA with a read-out of the Allawi visit. The Iraqi
Ambassador said he capitalized on his 40-year friendship with
his high school classmate Allawi to convince the Iraqi Prime
Minister to visit Bahrain at the last minute. The large
Iraqi delegation included the Ministers of Defense,
Transport, Telecommunications, Oil, and State as well as the
Governor of the Central Bank (a regular visitor to Bahrain),
the Assistant Director of Intelligence, the Deputy Foreign
Minister and the Deputy Finance Minister. Ambassador Hussein
noted that members of the delegation held separate bilateral
talks with their Bahraini counterparts, meetings not
mentioned in press reports.

(C/NF) 3. Ambassador Hussein said that the GOB is eager to
provide assistance to Iraq, particularly in the form of
training. Bahrain has already begun providing financial
sector training to Iraqi bankers, and he indicated that an
MOU regarding training for 4000 Iraqi firefighters would soon
be approved by the Iraqi Minister of Interior. On security,
Ambassador Hussein noted that the GOB may be rethinking
sending naval forces to help secure Iraqi waters as offered
one month ago, and is proposing instead to provide naval
training in Bahrain for Iraqi naval forces. While the
Ambassador did not elaborate on Allawi's discussion with the
King and Prime Minister for troop support (reftel),he
reiterated Allawi's position that coalition forces must
remain until Iraqi security capacities can be ensured. Above
all, Ambassador Hussein told CDA, Allawi stressed that Iraq
needs continued moral support from Muslim countries and
thanked Bahrain for its stance since the end of the old
regime.

(C/NF) 4. On economic issues, PM Allawi's message is that
private investment is key to Iraq's reconstruction. Iraq and
Bahrain are organizing channels of bilateral commercial
cooperation to provide potential Bahraini investors with the
ways and means to get involved. To encourage private sector
interest, Iraq is sending its Minister of Water Resources,
and possibly its Minister of Electricity to Bahrain in
conjunction with the Power-Gen Middle East and Water Middle
East Conference in September.
ZIADEH