DEPUTY SECRETARY MEETING WITH KING HAMAD

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 001708

SIPDIS

STATE FOR D, NEA, DS, S/CT, PM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2014
TAGS: PREL MARR ASEC PTER BA IZ
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY MEETING WITH KING HAMAD

REF: MANAMA 1671

Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

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Summary
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1. (S) The Deputy Secretary met with King Hamad November 7
to discuss Bahrain's counter-terrorism efforts, the situation
in Iraq, and Bahrain's relations with its neighbors. The
King opened the meeting with a surprise proposal to commit a
company of special forces troops to Afghanistan as part of
the UAE contingent there. The King offered to travel to
Washington within the next few weeks to develop the proposal.
The Deputy Secretary expressed his concern about the court's
November 1 release of the four terrorism suspects. The King
replied that the case was a real problem for him; the GOB
could not control the court. He added that the government
had taken Yasser Kamal, one of the four suspects, back into
custody on charges related to his September flight from the
courtroom following a hearing. He will be prosecuted on
these charges. The Deputy Secretary stressed that it was
important for Bahrain to do everything legally possible to
prosecute the four. The King said the government was
monitoring the suspects closely. On Iraq, the Deputy
Secretary reported that Prime Minister Allawi was ready to

SIPDIS
attack Fallujah. A joint U.S.-Iraqi force would carry out
the operation. End Summary.


2. (C) The Deputy Secretary, accompanied by the Ambassador,
NEA Assistant Secretary Burns, PM DAS Bue, and Pol/Econ chief
(notetaker),met with King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa on
November 7. Also attending from the Bahraini side was Crown
Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister and
Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Defense
Minister LTG Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, and Minister of
State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar.

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Bahraini Special Forces to Afghanistan
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3. (C) The King opened the meeting by congratulating the
President on winning reelection and emphasizing Bahrain's
eagerness to further strengthen the bilateral relationship.
He stated that in response to the President's call for unity
in the face of global terrorism, Bahrain is ready to commit a
company of special forces troops to Afghanistan as part of
the UAE force. The King said he had spoken to Abu Dhabi
Crown Prince and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Shaikh Mohammed
bin Zayed Al Nahyan about this and he had agreed to host,
support, and transport the Bahraini troops.


4. (C) The Deputy Secretary thanked the King for the offer,
stating that that the President would be grateful for
Bahrain's participation in the OEF coalition. He noted that
the Emirati contingent had taken some casualties and the
Bahrainis would be exposed to danger. The King understood
and asked whether he should visit Washington soon to develop
the idea. (Note: In a November 8 follow-up discussion on
this point, Abdul Ghaffar passed along the King's proposal
that the King visit Washington within the next few weeks.
See septel. End Note.) The Deputy Secretary assured the
King that he was welcome in Washington. The Deputy Secretary
said that he would discuss the proposal with U.S. commanders
in Afghanistan, where he would travel this week.

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Concern About Counter-Terrorism Efforts
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5. (S) The Deputy Secretary commented that troops on the
ground in Afghanistan could make Bahrain into a bigger target
for terrorists. The King replied that the Bahraini people
trust his judgment and would understand the measure in the
context of Bahrain's reform program.

6. (S) Continuing on the subject of counter-terrorism, the
Deputy Secretary expressed his concern about the court's
November 1 release of the four terrorism suspects,
particularly Yasser Kamal, who had fled the courtroom
following a September hearing. While respecting the
separation of powers, the Deputy Secretary said that the
release was a real problem for us.

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Rearrest of One Suspect
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7. (S) The King stated that he did not know how to solve
this problem. Bahrain no longer had a state security law
permitting extended detention of suspects. The government
now had to allow the courts to act as they see fit. Rule of
law is important. He acknowledged that the suspects could be
dangerous, but asserted that they drew no support from the
Bahraini people, who condemned them for considering killing
civilians. There had been no demonstrations in support of
the suspects. He confessed that he had become mad when the
court released them, and said that the government was
monitoring them closely.


8. (S) Crown Prince Salman pointed out that the GOB could
not control the judge if he decided at a later date that the
prosecution had no case against the suspects. He stated his
understanding that the primary U.S. interest was the arrest
and detention of the four, which would disrupt their
planning. This had been achieved. When Kamal fled the
courtroom in September, the CP said, "it was a gift from God"
as it gave the prosecution a concrete offense to charge him
with. The King said that the GOB had taken Kamal back into
custody on these grounds following his November 1 release.

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All Legal Means to Prosecute
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9. (S) The Deputy Secretary stressed that it was important
for both Bahrain and the U.S. that the GOB do everything
legally possible to prosecute the suspects. There were
questions about whether Bahrain was doing all it could in
this regard. The GOB should stay in touch with us on this
case. The Deputy Secretary warned that there could be
implications for the (DOD) Bahrain School. He said that he
strongly advocated continued USG support for the school. It
would not be a good thing if the suspects disappeared. The
King said that U.S. troops had been shot at in many countries
in the Gulf and Middle East regions, but not in Bahrain.
Bahrain had participated in defending Kuwait and was helping
on Iraq. Bahrain does the right thing on Gulf security. He
assured the Deputy Secretary that Bahrain would be there for
the U.S.

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Yawar Appreciation for U.S. Role
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10. (C) In response to the Deputy Secretary's question, the
King said that Iraqi President Yawar was still in Bahrain,
spending time with family members visiting from Saudi Arabia.
The King said that he had met with Yawar twice and hosted
him for dinner. Yawar intends to visit Washington at the end
of November. President Yawar is confident he is doing the
right thing in Iraq, and recognizes there would be no way to
make progress without the United States. The King reported
that he told Yawar Bahrain will host the GCC summit in
December, and the King would like to deliver something for
Iraq.

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Fallujah Strike Coming
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11. (C) The Deputy Secretary indicated that he had met with
Prime Minister Allawi during his visit to Iraq. Allawi is
fed up and is ready to strike Fallujah. A sizable military
force of MNF and Iraqi troops are poised to enter the city.
Allawi believes that the IIG must move to confront the
insurgents, as dialogue and negotiations have not succeeded.
Regarding elections, the King questioned whether they had to
take place in January. He thought that the timing was not as
important as holding good elections. The Deputy Secretary
said that the insurgents would treat a delay as a victory.
The Deputy Secretary noted comments by Grand Ayatollah
Sistani which suggest that the Ayatollah advocates democracy
and participation in the elections, but not support for an
Iranian style government.

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Some Friction with Saudi Arabia
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12. (C) The Deputy Secretary asked about the reactions of
Gulf states to Bahrain's participation in the G8 Summit in
Sea Island, Georgia last June and leadership role in the
Broader Middle East/North Africa initiative. The King
replied that while he was careful to speak favorably in
public about other GCC countries at the summit, they were
clearly unhappy about Bahrain's prominence. Though not
necessarily connected, the King mentioned that there had been
some friction recently with Saudi Arabia on the economic
front. He noted that the SAG had recently stopped a gift of
50,000 barrels per day of oil. (Note: The King sent the
Crown Prince to Saudi Arabia in the past few days to discuss
this issue. End Note.)

MONROE