UNCLAS MANAMA 000298

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NP/CBM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MNUC KSCA ETTC TSPA BA MTCRE
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: ENCOURAGING ADDITIONAL COUNTRIES TO
SUBSCRIBE TO HCOC

REF: STATE 31433

Sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly. Not
for Internet distribution.


1. (SBU) PolEcon chief February 28 delivered reftel demarche
on encouraging additional countries to subscribe to the Hague
Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation
(HCOC) to MFA Director for Bilateral Affairs Dhafer Al Umran.
Al Umran wondered aloud why the other GCC countries and
Egypt had not signed up for the HCOC, but took note that
Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman had voted in favor of the 2004 UNGA
resolution. He said that he would look into Bahrain's
position on subscribing to the HCOC, commenting that the HCOC
is the type of group Bahrain should join.

MONROE