CROWN PRINCE DISCUSSES DEMOCRACY, TRADE, SECURITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000544

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/11/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ETRD PTER ASEC BA
SUBJECT: CROWN PRINCE DISCUSSES DEMOCRACY, TRADE, SECURITY
WITH AMBASSADOR

REF: A. MANAMA 531


B. MANAMA 501

C. MANAMA 471

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

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Summary
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1. (S) The Ambassador met with Crown Prince Salman April 11
to review the CP's upcoming trip to Washington. While noting
that the CP's primary focus was ratification of the free
trade agreement (FTA),the Ambassador told him that American
officials will also want to discuss the political situation
in Bahrain, particularly reform and democratization. The CP
said that the government is suspicious of the role Iran plays
within Bahrain's Shia community and fears growing
sectarianism in society. Many Bahraini Sunnis perceived a
planned series of Shia demonstrations as a threat and
complained to the government. He noted that Shia opposition
society Al Wifaq agreed to abide by the law with respect to
future marches. The government wants to promote unity within
society by creating an environment supportive to all, and a
strong justice system would give people confidence that they
are protected. The CP said that he will ask the
Administration and Congress to move ahead with ratification
of the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA). In response
to the Ambassador's comments, the CP said that the government
continues to monitor closely the terrorism suspects, and is
working to penetrate the extremists to deal with the
long-term threat they represent. End Summary.

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Avoiding Sectarian Conflict
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2. (C) The Ambassador met with Crown Prince Salman April 11
to discuss the CP's upcoming April 19-22 visit to Washington.
While an important focus of the trip will be to encourage
rapid ratification of the FTA, the Ambassador stated he
anticipated that Administration officials will also want to
discuss the political situation in Bahrain, in particular
continued reform and democratization. While the President
and others have praised Bahrain and King Hamad, people notice
and get concerned when the GOB takes actions such as closing
the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, detaining the website
administrators of an on-line opposition forum, and refusing
an application to hold a demonstration. The Crown Prince
said that he welcomed the opportunity to address these
issues. He stated that Bahrain is suspicious of Iran and the
role it plays inside Bahrain's Shia community. There were
fears that the large Shia demonstration held March 25 in
Sitra (Ref C) could have ignited sectarian conflict.
Bahrain's Sunnis perceived the demonstrations as a threat and
complained to the government. When threatened, the CP
commented, people can lash out.


3. (C) The Ambassador responded that the March 25
demonstration was peaceful, and asked why the GOB was so
concerned. The CP said that the organizers, Shia opposition
society Al Wifaq, had planned to hold additional
demonstrations in other areas of the country. Al Wifaq broke
the law by holding the Sitra march without a permit, and
Minister of Social Affairs Al Belooshi, in her meeting with
Al Wifaq officials, told them they must respect the law (Ref
B). If they want to change the law, they should participate
in the political system. In the meeting, Al Wifaq agreed to
abide by the law.

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Creating an Environment Supportive to All
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4. (C) The Crown Prince stated that currently in Bahrain
almost all social and political organizations are sectarian
in nature. When people are fighting for their identity, they
form into associations familiar to them. The CP said that
"we don't want to see what happened in Lebanon occur here."
The Shia, the Crown Prince said, have the numbers, but the
Sunnis have the guns. The government had to manage the
situation carefully to ensure it did not explode.


5. (C) Sectarian conflict can be avoided, he continued, by
creating an environment supportive to all. The government
should not consistently support the agenda of one group over
another. In this regard, the CP said that the government is
aware of Shia calls for members of the community to be
integrated into the Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) and the
Ministry of Interior (MOI). However, the BDF and MOI
leaderships react negatively when they see senior Shia
religious cleric Shaikh Issa Qassem speaking in front of a
photograph of Khomeini, who they consider to be a foreign
political leader. A message of national unity must get out.
He said, "Bahrain has worked hard not to become a vassal of
Saudi Arabia, and we're certainly not going to let ourselves
become a vassal of Iran."

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Ongoing Process of Democratization
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6. (C) The Ambassador stated that the region must go through
a process of democratization. This can sometimes be messy,
but in the end society becomes more dynamic politically and
economically. The CP said that the citizens have to buy into
the system, and this process can come in fits and starts.
Societies need a strong justice system so the people feel
confident they will be protected. Elections are not enough.
He said that Bahrain is moving forward and finding its way,
but the process can be tough at times.

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Forging Ahead on FTA Ratification
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7. (C) The Crown Prince said that he will ask the
Administration and Congress to move ahead on ratification of
the U.S.-Bahrain FTA during his visit. Bahrain is under
pressure from the EU to delay ratification and
implementation, claiming the bilateral FTA with the U.S.
would harm the GCC customs union and its relationship with
the EU (Ref A). He rejected this claim, and said he would
also discuss the political benefits to the U.S. of
demonstrating enhanced economic cooperation with the
countries of the region. He pointed out that FTA
negotiations with the UAE and Oman came as a result of the
agreement with Bahrain. The Ambassador noted that the Saudi
Ambassador to Bahrain was quoted in the press April 1 saying
that the U.S.-Bahrain FTA "is positive and stimulated many
Gulf countries to revise their authoritarian (commercial)
regimes." The CP replied that Saudi Arabia is now
negotiating a bilateral FTA with Singapore.


8. (C) The CP told the Ambassador that he and his staff were
reaching out to the political blocs in parliament to explain
the upcoming draft legislation on labor. He noted that
reactions to the labor reform initiative do not break out in
any predictable manner and it is not being viewed in
sectarian terms.

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Dealing with Long-Term Extremist Threat
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9. (S) The Ambassador said that we continue to remain
focused on the security situation in Bahrain. We have
noticed an improvement in cooperation with the GOB over the
past few months, and appreciate that the government continues
its tight surveillance of the terrorism suspects. We hope
that the suspects will be vigorously prosecuted, but in any
event it is critical that the close surveillance on them be
maintained. The Crown Prince responded that the government
is watching the suspects closely and is also monitoring a
mosque in East Riffa. The threat is long-term, and the GOB
is working to penetrate the extremists. He attributed the
stronger bilateral security cooperation to the presence of
former Bahraini Ambassador to the U.S. Shaikh Khalifa's
presence at the Bahrain National Security Agency. The CP
noted that the government had passed the draft
counter-terrorism law to parliament but, due to public
opposition from some parliamentarians, he indicated he was
unsure whether it would pass in its current form.

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Commitment to Bahrain School
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10. (C) The CP thanked the U.S. for its support for the DOD
Bahrain School and said that the GOB is similarly committed.
He recognized that the school will have to develop a strategy
for the future and pledged that the Bahraini government will
play a role in ensuring the school's continued viability and
high standards.

MONROE