BAHRAIN: SPEAKING OUT ON GITMO AND DETAINEES

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 001165 SIPDIS STATE FOR S/WCI AMBASSADOR PROSPER ALSO FOR NEA, NEA/ARPI E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2015 TAGS: KAWC KISL PGOV PREL BA SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: SPEAKING OUT ON GITMO AND DETAINEES REF: STATE 142348 Classified by Charge d'Affaires Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) The Charge delivered reftel talking points concerning detainee operations at Guantanamo to Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa August 10. In presenting the points, the Charge emphasized that capturing and detaining enemy combatants is a national security and military necessity. She pointed out that though Al Qaeda is a terrorist organization and therefore not covered by the Geneva Conventions, all detainees are treated in accordance with international obligations and the principles of the Geneva Conventions. She stressed that allegations of abuse or other misconduct are reviewed and, if warranted, investigated, and those responsible are punished. Detainees are treated humanely and are allowed to practice their religion. She noted that we expect the population of detainees at GTMO to continue to decrease. However, a few former detainees who have been released have returned to the fight, engaging in armed combat against U.S. forces. ¶2. (C) Shaikh Mohammed listened carefully to the points and did not dispute them. Signaling his position of looking ahead rather than back, he asked about any new information regarding the release of Bahraini detainees at GTMO. (Note: Bahrain's August 10 newspapers cover comments by the detainees' American lawyer urging GOB efforts to bring back the detainees to Bahrain, and MFA Under Secretary Yousef Mahmoud's statement that the MFA sent a memo to the USG about the return of the detainees. End Note.) The Charge replied that we had nothing new on the issue. Shaikh Mohammed said that the USG should tell the GOB what steps it should take to create the right conditions for a return of the detainees. In particular, he was interested in what Bahrain could learn from the U.S.'s experience with releases to other countries. ¶3. (C) The ForMin said that the detainee issue continued to figure prominently in the Bahraini press, and the government wants to take actions that will help calm the situation. ZIADEH