AL WIFAQ LEADERS MEET WITH MINISTER OF INTERIOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001152

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2015
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM BA
SUBJECT: AL WIFAQ LEADERS MEET WITH MINISTER OF INTERIOR

REF: A. MANAMA 1036


B. MANAMA 943

C. MANAMA 885

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

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Summary
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1. (C) Several board members of leading Shi'a opposition
political society Al Wifaq met with the Minister of Interior
August 6 and discussed the police role at political
demonstrations; employment of Bahrainis in the police and
defense forces; an alleged travel ban on former political
activists; compensation for victims of torture; and
independent inspections of the country's prisons. Though
their discussion did not result in any concrete agreements,
both sides praised the meeting as a step towards warmer
relations between the GOB and the organization.

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Al Wifaq leaders meet with Minister of Interior
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2. (SBU) Al Wifaq President Sheikh Ali Salman, Vice
President Hassan Mushaima, and board members Jawad Fairooz
(who also serves as Northern Area Municipal Council Vice
Chairman),Murtada Bader (also Capital Area Municipal Council
Chairman),and Sakina Al Ekri met with Minister of Interior
Sheikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa August 6. Al Wifaq
issued a statement afterward saying that the "positive and
honest" meeting resulted in a renewed commitment from both
sides to promote the national interest. According to the
press, the Al Wifaq representatives present told Sheikh
Rashid that the Ministry of Interior (MOI) normally plays a
positive role in managing public demonstrations, though
alleged police abuse at a July 15 rally was out of line and
should be investigated (Ref A). The Al Wifaq leaders also
praised Sheikh Rashid for bringing more Bahrainis, especially
Bahraini Shi'a, into the police, and encouraged him to
continue hiring Bahrainis to help improve the unemployment
situation. (Note: As in other Gulf countries, the security
forces and military employ many (Arab and Sunni Muslim)
foreigners. End Note.)


3. (C) According to press reports, the Al Wifaq
representatives expressed concern during the meeting that the
GOB has imposed a travel ban on some political activists.
Sheikh Rashid asked for a list of the individuals who believe
they are subject to the travel ban. The two sides also
discussed compensation for former political prisoners who
were allegedly tortured or killed in the 1990s. GOB
officials privately told EmbOff that the government is
willing to consider paying compensation to the victims but
will not issue a statement of responsibility. The Al Wifaq
representatives asked if their society could monitor prisons
in Bahrain, and the Minister replied that human rights
organizations - but not political societies - were authorized
to inspect prisons.


4. (C) Al Wifaq board member Nizar Al Qari (who did not
attend the meeting) told Poloff that the meeting was a
positive move. He said that if the GOB participates in a
dialogue with opposition leaders, issues can be taken up in
offices instead of on the streets. Al Qari added that by
bringing more Shi'a youth into the police, the MOI would
increase stability and decrease radicalism. He noted that
Shi'a members of the security forces who were hired in recent
years have stopped going to hardline mosques and majlises and
are not active in the opposition anymore. They are more
concerned with getting married and buying a car than
politics. An MOI representative told EmbOff August 8 that
the Minister hoped to meet with Al Wifaq representatives
regularly so that the opposition would have an opportunity to
express itself and not have to resort to demonstrations.

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Comment
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5. (C) The Minister of Interior's meeting with Al Wifaq
eased some of the tension between the GOB and the opposition.
Opposition leaders often say that if they had an open
dialogue with GOB officials, they would feel much less
frustrated by political issues. The Minister's offer to meet
was a positive step, and Al Wifaq leaders' attendance is much
more productive than the hostile approach some activists have
taken in recent weeks. Unfortunately, a more radicalized
element in the Shi'a opposition, most prominently personified
by Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, rejects a true dialogue with the
government and continues to carry out provocative acts, as
seen in the June 19 and July 15 unemployment demonstrations
and the June 29 ceremony held by the Islamic Action Society
"honoring" coup plotters from the 1980's (reftels).

ZIADEH