BAHRAIN: ENCOURAGING ARAB DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000846

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV KISL BA IZ
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: ENCOURAGING ARAB DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
WITH IRAQ AND POSITIVE PUBLIC STATEMENTS

REF: A. STATE 107980


B. MANAMA 810

C. STATE 103222

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


1. (C) The Ambassador June 11 delivered Ref A demarche
concerning encouraging Arab diplomatic relations with Iraq
and positive public statements to Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs/Information Minister Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar.
Abdul Ghaffar concurred that it was important to support the
Iraqi government, noting that he had met with the Iraqi
Minister of Information at the Arab Ministers of Information
meeting in Cairo the previous week. He affirmed that Foreign
Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa would lead
the Bahraini delegation at the June 21-22 U.S.-EU
international conference on Iraq in Brussels.


2. (C) Per Ref B, the Ambassador June 7 delivered Ref C
demarche requesting that Bahrain enhance its relations with
Iraq to Shaikh Mohammed. Shaikh Mohammed stated that Bahrain
would continue to find opportunities to publicly express its
support for Iraq and the Iraqi Transitional Government.

MONROE