KING OPENS PARLIAMENT WITH SHOW OF UNITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001558

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/11/2014
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL BA
SUBJECT: KING OPENS PARLIAMENT WITH SHOW OF UNITY

Classified by DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

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Summary
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1. (C) King Hamad October 9 opened Parliament's third
session since the adoption of the National Charter with a
speech focusing on the need for unity, dialogue, and
tolerance in the Kingdom. The King warned that in-fighting
puts prosperity at risk and people must find a way to express
differences of opinion with serenity and courtesy. The
message resonates on many levels - within the Arab world,
Bahraini society, and the Al Khalifa family. While
complimenting the Prime Minister for his many
accomplishments, the King thrust his son Crown Prince Salman
firmly into the limelight by entrusting him with the
Kingdom's most sensitive political issue, the process of
discussing amendments to the constitution. He praised the
CP's work on labor reform, the topic that led to tensions
between the CP and the Prime Minister last month. The King
proposed development of a personal status law based on
religious values that is well-balanced and moderate.
Regarding foreign affairs, the King discussed Iraq and the
Israeli/Palestinian conflict. End Summary.

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Echoes of Lincoln: A House Divided Cannot Thrive
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2. (C) King Hamad October 9 opened the third parliamentary
session since the 2002 adoption of the National Charter with
an address to a joint session of the Council of
Representatives and the Shura (Consultative) Council. With
his uncle Prime Minister Khalifa and son Crown Prince Salman
flanking him on the dais, the King stated that "divided
houses do not make thriving nations" in the context of
inter-Arab in-fighting. However, Bahrainis understood the
message to be that, in the aftermath of tensions brought on
by the CP's labor reform conference in September and his
implicit criticism of the PM's stewardship of the economy
over the past 30-plus years, the Al Khalifa family must close
ranks and avoid conflict.


3. (C) The point also resonated more broadly within Bahraini
society, which is marked by a Shia-Sunni demographic divide
and lately has been dealing with the specter of sectarian
friction following the late September arrest of civil society
activist Abdel Hadi Al Khawaja, a critic of the government
and an advocate for Shia empowerment. The King continued
that "we stress commitment to serenity in dialogues and
courtesy in divergences of opinions... and consider such
attributes the core of Bahraini values." This view echoes
statements made by other leaders, including Shia spiritual
leader Shaikh Issa Qassem and opposition society Al Wifaq
President Ali Salman, who called for calming down the
situation and solidarity within Bahraini society.

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CP To Lead National Dialogue
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4. (C) About one-third of the way into his speech, the King
spoke of the "wise government led by our dear uncle" the PM
and his great success and achievements. Moments later the
King talked about the political and economic reform process
he has implemented and entrusted the Crown Prince with
following up on these issues. Most importantly, he will lead
the national dialogue, the process of talks between the GOB
and four opposition political societies on possible
amendments to the constitution to rationalize and improve the
efficiency of the legislative process. (Note: We understand
that for now, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Majid Al
Alawi will continue to head the government team interacting
directly with the opposition parties, but he will report to
the CP on the status of the dialogue rather than to the King.
End Note.)


5. (C) The King highlighted the honor of serving in the
parliament and said, "there is no substitute or source for
the development of democracy other than you, the sons and
representatives of this nation." One contact understood this
to be a subtle message that changes to the constitution would
come only through legislative channels, and not by
oppositionists negotiating directly with the government.

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First Step Is Acknowledging A Problem
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6. (C) The King commended the Crown Prince for his
chairmanship of the Economic Development Board, citing his
"well-studied initiative" on labor market reform. The King
continued that, "We believe that it takes courage when a
state informs its people about the problems because that move
represents the first step towards a solution. We fully
support this move, and we stress to the Crown Prince the
importance of immediate action to prepare, as part of his
mission, the second line of young leaders who will assume the
responsibility and carry on the reforms."

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Personal Status Initiative
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7. (C) The King's major new policy initiative was his desire
for a personal status law. He stated that it must be a
flexible law that takes into account religious values,
protects the rights of women and children, and guides legal
relations between husband and wife. He cautioned that the
law must be drawn from "our tolerant Islamic values" and be
well-balanced and moderate and allow for "ijtihad," the
interpretation of Islamic principles.


8. (C) During his October 9 meeting with Defense Secretary
Rumsfeld, hours after the speech to parliament, the King said
that he had raised a "revolutionary idea," that women and
children should rely upon the law for their rights and the
husband/father was not the absolute authority in their lives.
He noted that Bahraini women are prominent in education,
medicine, and law, and that 56 percent of registered voters
in the Kingdom are women.


9. (C) MP Salah Ali, president of the Al Minbar political
society, a relatively moderate Sunni organization, told
PolFSN that his parliamentary bloc strongly supports
development of a personal status law. Al Minbar had proposed
a law some two years ago that was harshly criticized by
leaders in the Shia community, who feared that the law would
impose Sunni interpretations of Sharia tenets on all
citizens. Ali hoped that by stressing flexibility and
"ijtihad," the King had paved the way for development of a
law that would be acceptable to all.

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Foreign Affairs
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10. (C) The King proudly cited his participation in the G8
Sea Island Summit last July, saying it was recognition of the
model that Bahrain represents in the Gulf region. In a
possible reference to the Greater Middle East and North
Africa initiative, the King stated, "we do not import
democracy." He stressed that the democratic reform process
is deeply rooted in the heritage of Bahrain's citizens.


11. (C) The King said that the solution to Iraq's problems
must come from within. Iraq's unity can be maintained
through democracy, constructive cooperation with its
neighbors, and openness towards the international community.
He also raised achieving a comprehensive and just peace in
the Middle East based on secure borders for all states,
including an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as
its capital.

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Comment
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12. (C) The King used his address to parliament as a vehicle
to appeal for unity and calm and to emphasize the need for
dialogue to resolve differences. His advice works on many
levels, from inside his immediate family to the international
scene. He also took steps to ensure that his son, the Crown
Prince, becomes more directly involved in the central
political issue facing the Kingdom, the national dialogue on
amending the constitution. While the King was careful to
praise the Prime Minister and his accomplishments, the net
effect of the speech was to push the Crown Prince more firmly
into the middle of Bahrain's political life as a way for him
to establish his credibility and to prepare for his future
job.

MONROE