GOB BARS INTERNATIONAL VISITORS FROM ATTENDING A

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000237

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP
CAIRO FOR STEVE BONDY
LONDON FOR ETHAN GOLDRICH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/18/2034
TAGS: PHUM KDEM PGOV BA
SUBJECT: GOB BARS INTERNATIONAL VISITORS FROM ATTENDING A
CONFERENCE ORGANIZED BY OPPOSITION SOCIETIES.


Classified By: By Charge D'Affaires Robert S. Ford for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The GOB stirred a new debate here this
week, which some local observers say leads to questions on
how much the government is committed to real political
liberalization. The GOB impeded a conference organized by
the political opposition on the constitution. The GOB
claimed that the organizers did not obtain official
permission to hold the event, justifying the GOB's actions to
turn away international attendees and order the venue
provider to cancel its contract with conference organizers.
It denied entry to fifteen international political activists
who were invited to participate in the event. However, laws
regulating societies do not require that societies obtain
permission from the GOB. They only need to notify the GOB,
and in this case, they did. In threatening the boycotters
with legal action, turning away international guests and
canceling venue providers, the GOB acted in at least a
high-handed manner and drew unwanted international attention
to its unbecoming behavior, tarnishing its image of a leader
of democratic reform in the region. END SUMMARY.

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BOYCOTTERS LOOK AT FEBRUARY 14 DIFFERENTLY
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2. (C) The four political societies that boycotted the
October 2002 parliamentary elections (Al Wifaq National
Democratic Action Society (NDAS),National Democratic
Congregation, and National Islamic Action Society),organized
a two-day conference that began on February 14 to propose
changes to Bahrain's current constitution. However, the
medium of change proposed by the conference was to amend the
1973 Constitution as stipulated by the National Action
Charter (a broad statement of political reform objectives
approved by referendum in 2001.) Claiming that the 2002
Constitution was imposed upon the people and not
contractually adopted, the societies named the conference,
&Towards a Contractual Constitution for a Constitutional
Monarchy.8


3. (U) Not only was the purpose of the conference
controversial but also its date. Organizers chose February 14
as the opening day of the conference because it marked the
third anniversary of the King,s political contract with the
people ) the National Action Charter. Bahrain Center for
Human Rights President Nabeel Rajab, told Poloff February 16
the boycotters chose this particular day of national
celebration to provoke a reaction from the government.

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THE BOYCOTTERS PETITION
--------------


4. (U) At the end of the conference, participants voted on
proposed amendments to the 1973 Constitution, transforming it
into a public petition to be submitted to the King. The
attendees elected a general secretariat to follow-up on the
proposed changes. Out of the 400 invitees who indicated that
they would attend the conference, 217 did.


5. (U) Al Wifaq President Shaikh Ali Salman insisted that
the intent of the conference was peaceful and in no way a
vehicle to undermine the GOB's prestige. Instead, the
participants sought to consolidate reform in four major
areas: transparency, protection of public funds, true
parliamentary power, and establishment of political parties.
Al Wifaq member Adel Al Abassi told Poloff that the public
petition proposed amendments to the 1973 Constitution, in
particular, reducing the power of the Shura Council. Al
Abassi estimated that conference organizers will release the
full text of the petition to the press next week.

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THE BOYCOTTERS SUCCEED IN PROVOKING THE GOB
--------------


6. (U) Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammed Al Mutawa told
the press on January 10 that each day Bahrain witnesses an
example of the genuine application of democracy. The fact
that the boycotters' constitutional seminar will be held is a
testament that democracy under the new constitution is
working, he said.


7. (C) In the days preceding the conference, the GOB turned
Al Mutawa's words on their head, by systematically seeking to
prevent the convening of the conference and to diminish
conference attendance. The GOB turned away 15 speakers and
participants from Kuwait, Egypt, Qatar, France, and England
at ports of entry. One of the international visitors slated
to attend the conference was prominent MP and former Chairman
of Kuwait,s Parliament (Majlis Al Umma) Ahmed Al Sadoon, who
drove to Bahrain but only to be turned away on the Saudi
causeway. The international press carried the barring of
foreign participants, highlighting the GOB's illegal actions.
Regionally, the GOB went as far as to contact their Kuwaiti
and Egyptian counterparts to pressure their citizens not to
attend. Locally, the GOB also lobbied foreign diplomats not
to attend. (The MFA called the CDA three times to strongly
urge officers not to attend.) MFA MinState told CDA that the
conference was illegal. MFA also contacted the British,
French, and German ambassadors, those diplomats told us
February 17.


8. (U) On February 12, the Minister of Labor and Social
Affairs (MOLSA) Majeed Al Alawi sent a letter to the four
societies notifying them of their need to obtain permission
before holding the conference. He stated: &there is no
problem with holding the event as long as a license and
permission are obtained from MOLSA according to regulations
set by the law.8 Organizers responded to Al Alawi,s
statement reporting that Al Alawi notified them that they
were in violation of the law but did not mention which law
had been violated, adding that no law requires them to obtain
permission, nor do they want to set the precedence for the
Ministry to control societies, activities. In a statement
to &Al Wasat8, the country's only independent newspaper,
Minister of Information Nabeel Al Hamer warned that the GOB
will take matters to the courts if the societies fail to
obtain permission to hold the conference. (NOTE: We know of
no law that requires societies to obtain permission to hold
an event; Decree 73 for societies only requires them to
notify the Ministry of Interior at least three days prior to
an event taking place. END NOTE)


9. (C) When the societies did not respond to the threats by
canceling their event, the GOB, on January 13, ordered the
Radisson hotel to cancel the contract with organizers just
hours before the start of the conference. Hotel Manager Mark
Phillips told PolOff that he received a letter urgently
requesting, he cancel the contract and informing him that no
one should be allowed to enter the conference without a
letter of permission, issued by MOLSA. Phillips relayed
this information to preparatory committee member Jalila Al
Sayed, and withdrew the Radisson as a venue.


10. (U) Anticipating this might happen, conference
organizers made previous arrangements to contract with two
contingent venues. Even though the General Organization for
Youth and Sports (GOYS) sent a letter warning the Al-Ouruba
Club management of the possibility of losing its operation
license, Al-Ouruba club management agreed to hold the
conference on its premises.


11. (U) In an attempt to explain GOB's actions, on February
14, Minister of Information Nabeel Al Hammer issued a public
statement, "We will not allow foreigners to interfere in our
affairs." The Gulf Daily News (GDN) published from the Royal
Court Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa a statement
from the King. It said, "With all due respect to foreign
experts, it is important that the debate over the kingdom's
internal affairs remains restricted to its citizens and that
no-one else take part in it.8


12. (C) COMMENT. Overall, the conference would have largely
been a non-event had the GOB ignored it. The GOB's impeding
movement of foreign political activists seeking to attend
generated unwanted international publicity. Pan Arab media
channel al-Jazeera and widely read Arabic newspaper al-Hayat
reported extensively on the conference. The King's remark
that foreigners should stay out of debates about internal
Bahraini politics is a vivid reminder of government
sensitivities. The GOB acted in a high-handed manner at
least, tarnishing its image of a regional leader of
democratic reforms and respect for human rights.
FORD