SULTAN'S SECURITY CHIEF ON ARRESTS OF IBADHI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 000552

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA, NEA/ARPI, DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: X5
TAGS: PINS PGOV SOCI KISL PHUM KJUS PINR MU
SUBJECT: SULTAN'S SECURITY CHIEF ON ARRESTS OF IBADHI
CONSPIRATORS

REF: A. MUSCAT 175


B. MUSCAT 231

Classified By: Ambassador Richard L. Baltimore III.
Reason: 1.4 (b).

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Summary
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1. (C) The Minister of the Royal Office and one of the most
powerful men in the country, General Ali bin Majid
al-Ma'amari told the Ambassador that forty people have been
arrested for conspiring to overthrow the government in order
to resurrect an Ibadhi religious state in the interior. The
Minister asserted that all legal requirements were met in the
course of the arrests and mocked the notion that the Omani
people would accept a formal political and religious division
of the Sultanate. The conspirators, he insisted, represent a
small and entirely indigenous grouping with no ties, support
or links with any outsiders. He was firm in asserting that
the security forces have a good handle on and will swiftly
respond to any challenge to the current order, whether from
Ibadhis or any other sect. End summary.


2. (C) On the heels of a meeting with the visiting Yemeni
Minister of Interior, Omani Minister of the Royal Office
General Ali bin Majid al-Ma'amari (aka Ali Majid) seized an
opportunity to meet briefly with the Ambassador on April 4,

2005. Ali Majid wanted to address forthrightly reason behind
the arrests that have taken place during the past months in
Oman. (Note: The Royal Office is a conglomeration of our
NSC, CIA, and White House Staff. It also directly controls
Oman's foreign intelligence, the Sultan's Special Forces and,
indirectly, the Internal Security Service. End note.)

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WHO, HOW AND WHY?
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3. (C) Ali Majid asserted that forty persons were arrested in
connection with a plot to overthrow the government and
resurrect the religious-based Imamate dissolved in 1954. He
repeatedly stressed that those in custody were all Ibadhis
with no/no links with any foreign organization or
personality. (Note: Saudi Arabia had aided Imamate forces in
the 1950's. End note.) He opined that although Omanis are
free to express their opinion as they see fit, whether in the
press or in Internet chatrooms, it would be "intolerable" to
allow a group to plot against the government. He
rhetorically asked whether they saw merit in attempting to
imitate Al-Houthi in Yemen, Saudi extremists or the Iranian
revolutionaries by attempting to turn back the clock? Did
they really think that the Omani people would tolerate the
imposition of social strictures such as forbidding women to
drive? Did they believe it would to beneficial to all to
allow a division of the country into two again, and perhaps
into even more parts later? To demonstrate his point of how
far off the mark they are, he noted that the Sultan's annual
tour into the interior was longer than usual and that he (Ali
Majid) personally witnessed a high level of popular
enthusiasm and respect for the Sultan throughout His
Majesty's recent travels.


4. (C) Ali Majid insisted that notwithstanding foreign press
reports to the contrary, all arrests were made after
obtaining search warrants from a court, women were present if
a female was taken into custody, a relative or friend of the
family was always with the authorities during a search and
signed a statement that it had been conducted properly and
that no unrelated items were seized, and that those in
custody have a right to legal representation. The future of
the arrested, he said, is now in the hands of the courts.


5. (C) In response to a question from the Ambassador, the
General said that the Omani who shot a British citizen in
Muscat on September 26, 2004, was mentally deranged and
dismissed it as "a matter for the police."


6. (C) The Minister placed great emphasis on "the lesson" the
arrests have shown i.e., the Omani authorities will treat all
citizens alike whether Ibadhi, Sunni or belonging to any
other religious persuasion.

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Comment
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7. (C) Comment: As reported previously, the Minister of
Information made a fool of himself when he broke the official
silence and tried to respond to growing international press
reports that alleged hundreds of arrests (ref A). The
Foreign Ministry subsequently tried to calm the waters (ref
B),but with limited effect. Ali Majid, one of the most
powerful members of the cabinet, seized this chance to assure
the Ambassador that Oman is a safe place and that the
government has a firm control over its internal security and
will not hesitate to respond effectively against any threat
to the public order, whether fellow Ibadhis or otherwise.
BALTIMORE