Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05MANAMA392
2005-03-16 13:33:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Manama
Cable title:  

BAHRAIN: INTERAGENCY BRIEFING TEAM ON GUANTANAMO

Tags:  PTER KAWC PINR PREL BA 
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161333Z Mar 05
C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000392 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, S/WCI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2015
TAGS: PTER KAWC PINR PREL BA
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: INTERAGENCY BRIEFING TEAM ON GUANTANAMO
ISSUES

REF: STATE 45507

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000392

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, S/WCI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2015
TAGS: PTER KAWC PINR PREL BA
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: INTERAGENCY BRIEFING TEAM ON GUANTANAMO
ISSUES

REF: STATE 45507

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


1. (C) Post welcomes DOD's offer to lead an interagency team
to discuss the status of the six Bahraini detainees at
Guantanamo (reftel). Senior government officials regularly
raise the detainees in meetings with the Ambassador and
EmbOffs, most recently today, March 16, and the press covers
the issue from many perspectives - actions of the families,
the GOB, the USG, Bahraini human rights activists, American
lawyers, and related legal developments in the American court
system or at GTMO. 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.


2. (C) The interagency team should be prepared to brief the
GOB in some detail about the charges against the detainees
and specific conditions for their release or transfer to a
detention facility in Bahrain. If they will remain at GTMO,
the team should explain the reasons. The visit could raise
GOB expectations of negotiations for the return of the
detainees to Bahrain, particularly in light of the New York
Times article, and we would have to manage these expectations
carefully. In this context, a presentation that is limited
to the Combatant Status Review Tribunal or Administrative
Review Board processes risks being counterproductive and
could expose senior Bahraini officials to further public
criticism. We would approve a visit designed to address the
future of Bahraini detainees at GTMO, whether they will be
released, under what conditions, and if not, then why not.


3. (C) In response to reftel question, post would want the
interagency team to interact with GOB officials only. There
would be no upside for the USG from meeting with
parliamentarians or journalists. The GOB would want to
callibrate how and when to report any positive movement on
the status of the detainees to parliament and the local press
to demonstrate it is doing all it can on behalf of its
citizens.

MONROE