ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT TOWNSEND'S DECEMBER 3

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001812

SIPDIS

WHITE HOUSE FOR APHSCT TOWNSEND

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2015
TAGS: PREL PTER ASEC PARM PGOV ETRD BA POL OFFICIALS REFORM CTR
SUBJECT: ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT TOWNSEND'S DECEMBER 3
MEETING WITH BAHRAINI CROWN PRINCE SALMAN


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

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Summary
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1. (C) Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and
Counter-Terrorism (APHSCT) Frances Fragos Townsend met with
Bahraini Crown Prince Salman December 3 on the margins of the
IISS Gulf Security Dialogue conference in Manama. APHSCT
Townsend praised Bahrain's role in hosting the conference,
saying it provided a platform for enhancing cooperation in
fighting terror at both the strategic and tactical levels.
CP Salman said Bahrain supports the Amman Declaration and is
committed to combating the movement of extremists and their
funding. He suggested a multilateral effort based on the
North Korea model to contain Iran. The CP agreed to continue
to engage with Iraq's Sunni community before and after the
upcoming elections. On domestic affairs, he said the Royal
Court was working with stakeholders on the draft
counter-terrorism law to create a text that would attract
broad support. Despite the clashes between protesters and
security forces the preceding few days, Bahrain would not
back away from its commitment to political reform. End
Summary.

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Enhancing CT Cooperation
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2. (C) APHSCT Townsend opened the December 3 meeting with
Bahraini Crown Prince Salman by emphasizing the beneficial
impact of the Gulf Security Dialogue conference in enhancing
cooperation in combating terror. On a tactical level,
conference participants had discussed standards on cash
couriers, border security, and travel documents while on the
strategic level, they had debated Iraq, Israel/Palestine, and
the ideological basis for terror. She said the upcoming
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) meeting in Mecca
represents an important opportunity to achieve progress on
the Amman Declaration. Crown Prince Salman agreed, saying
Bahrain supports the Declaration, and stressed that OIC
countries must combat the movement of extremists and the
funds that support them.


3. (C) The CP stated that Bahrain is supporting Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas and hoped that Israel would not halt
its redeployments with "Gaza only." Bahrain is worried about
Iran and, to send a signal, he said he would not meet with
the Iranian delegation currently in town for the conference.
(Note: Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid told us the next day
that, on the pretext of delivering a letter from the Iranian
Foreign Minister, the CP finally agreed to a pull-aside at
the IISS dinner the evening of December 3, and was irritated
that the letter was simply an apology from the FM for not
coming to the conference.) APHSCT Townsend said it was
important for all countries to state publicly and
unequivocally that state-sponsored terrorism is unacceptable.
The CP replied that there was agreement among the GCC
countries on this. He continued that Iran also needed to
know that all countries of the region reject proliferation
and suggested a multilateral effort to contain Iran, like the
process with North Korea. The Omanis believe that Khamenei
should be the address of any talks on the nuclear program.
President Ahmadi-Nejad is just a proxy. APHSCT Townsend
commented that progress in the North Korea talks had been
uneven.


4. (C) On Iraq, Shaikh Salman said he was very encouraged by
the Cairo reconciliation meetings and pledged that Bahrain
would continue to help. Lack of engagement by the Arab world
allows the Iranians to move in. APHSCT Townsend said the
Sunnis need Arab encouragement and support for the political
process. The focus should be less on the sectarian divide
and more on the shared future of Iraq's communities. The
Sunnis particularly need encouragement in the run-up to and
after the December 15 elections. The CP agreed to continue
to engage with the Sunni community.

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Progress on Security, CT Law
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5. (S) Turning to domestic affairs, APHSCT Townsend praised
the improvement in cooperation between the USG and Bahrain's
security services. The CP said the leadership knew there had
been a problem and fixed it. Now, the right people are in
the right positions and they are able to create a foundation
for future improvement and growth. He noted, however, that
Bahrain still needs more technology and training for officers
involved in surveillance. In response to APHSCT Townsend's
question, the CP stated that Bahrain's original draft
counter-terrorism law had been a non-starter and parliament
had refused to engage with the government. The Royal Court
is now working with stakeholders on the law, having evaluated
that it is better to engage before the law is submitted than
to have it rejected. By working through the issues, public
opinion on the law will shift.


6. (C) CP Salman said that those involved in demonstrations
and clashes with police in Bahrain the preceding few days
were seeking to return to the tactics of the 1990s. The
leaders of the protests represent a radical group that broke
away from leading Shia opposition society Al Wifaq.
According to the Ministry of Interior, the allegation that
touched off the violence, that security personnel beat a
protester, is false. The CP characterized the clashes as an
effort to destabilize the country. In recent demonstrations,
protesters carried Hizballah flags and photographs of
Khamenei and walked on an American flag. Although there is
no conclusive evidence of direct communication between Shia
protesters and Iran, the events follow the Iranian model. He
affirmed that, regardless of the provocation, Bahrain would
not back away from its political reform process, which is
designed to achieve a better future for all citizens.


7. (C) APHSCT Townsend said that President Bush was grateful
for Bahrain's decision not to allow a Palestinian
rejectionist conference to take place in Bahrain earlier this
year. The CP said the government had informed the organizers
they would not be allowed into the country. There had been
no negative reaction from the decision. APHSCT Townsend
noted that the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement would come
before the full House and Senate soon, and the administration
was urging quick action. The CP thanked the administration
for its support and acknowledged that Bahrain still had to
pass additional legislation on intellectual property rights
protection before the agreement could enter into force.


8. (U) APHSCT Townsend cleared this message.

MONROE