RECEIPT OF DIPLOMATIC NOTE ON BAHRAINI DETAINEES

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000390 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARPI E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2015 TAGS: PREL KAWC OPDC BA SUBJECT: RECEIPT OF DIPLOMATIC NOTE ON BAHRAINI DETAINEES AT GTMO REF: STATE 45507 Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) Embassy received diplomatic note number 11/231/2-39138 concerning Bahraini detainees at GTMO from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs March 16. Begin Text of Diplomatic Note: 11/231/2-39138 March 14, 2005 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs presents its compliments to the Embassy of the United States of America in the Kingdom of Bahrain and would like to refer to what the American press and media circulated recently about the intention of the American authorities to move a number of the prisoners at Guantanamo to their countries and to release others. The Ministry would like to notify the Embassy that there are six citizens of the Kingdom of Bahrain among the prisoners (a list of their names is attached). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be grateful if the Embassy would inform the Ministry about the fate of these citizens and if they are among those that the American authorities are going to release. The Kingdom of Bahrain has requested on more than one occasion during its follow up on the issue of the Bahraini prisoners at Guantanamo that the American authorities send them to the Kingdom. The Ministry avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Embassy of the United States of America the assurance of its highest consideration. End Text. Begin Text of Attachment: Abdulla Majed Al-Naimi, detainee number JJJ AEI Adel Kamel Hajee, detainee number JFJ Essa Al-Merbati, detainee number 0079711-07 Jumah Mohammed Al-Dossary Salman Ebraheem Al-Khalifa, detainee number JJ BDF Salah A. Rasool Ali Al-Bloushi, detainee number JJJ BB G End text. ¶2. (U) Embassy understands that the Bahraini Embassy in Washington delivered a parallel note to the Department March ¶15. We seek Department's guidance on a response. ¶3. (C) As described septel, in response to reftel offer for DOD to lead an interagency team to Bahrain to discuss Bahraini detainees at GTMO, we note that local press coverage regarding detainees at GTMO has been heavy recently. The March 16 Bahrain Tribune ran a banner headline article saying that Bahraini detainees at GTMO could be released soon following "great advances" in GOB negotiations with U.S. authorities, according to Ministry of Interior Acting Chief of Legal Affairs Col. Mohammed Rashid Buhumood. Bahrain's newspapers prominently covered a March 11 New York Times article claiming that the Pentagon seeks to transfer more than half of the detainees to the custody of foreign governments. In addition, the Gulf Daily News ran a four-part series March 12-15 on alleged mistreatment of Bahraini detainee Juma Al Dossary and Abdulla Majid Al Nuaimi. According to the articles, the source of the information was the American lawyer representing the Bahraini detainees, Dorsey and Whitney attorney Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, who visited GTMO in October 2004 and plans to visit again shortly. If the interagency team visits Bahrain, it should address the future of Bahraini detainees at GTMO, whether they will be released, under what conditions, and if not, then why not. MONROE