FOREIGN MINISTER FLAGS HARM DONE BY GTMO ISSUE

S E C R E T MANAMA 001163 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/28/2016 TAGS: PREL KAWC PTER OPDC BA BILAT CTR OFFICIALS SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER FLAGS HARM DONE BY GTMO ISSUE REF: A. STATE 103590 ¶B. MANAMA 1144 ¶C. MANAMA 1000 ¶D. MANAMA 0963 Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S) The Ambassador June 25 delivered Ref A diplomatic note concerning the proposed visit of Bahraini security officials to GTMO to Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. The Minister thanked the Ambassador for the response and said he would get back to us on proposed travel details. Shaikh Khalid commented that the return of 14 Saudis from GTMO the previous day was a good sign if it signaled momentum to push the issue forward. GTMO is hurting the GOB's position domestically, he said. He occasionally must go to parliament to answer questions about the government's actions in support of the three remaining Bahraini detainees. He can easily defend Bahrain's relations with the U.S. but the GTMO issue puts the government into a corner. He recommended "doing away" with the detention center as soon as possible. ¶2. (S) Shaikh Khalid said the USG should return as many detainees as it could, and try and jail the guilty in accordance with the law. He stated that the American lawyers defending the Bahraini detainees issue statements that put the government into a tough position. He noted that he had received 150 petitions from Bahraini citizens urging the government to take whatever action is necessary to bring the detainees home. (Note: The Embassy has also received 35 letters of a similar nature. The letter drive is part of an Amnesty International/Bahrain campaign to publicize the status of GTMO detainees, Ref B.) The Minister said both his government and the USG are in a defensive position on the issue and he does not want GTMO to "continue bothering us." He emphasized that Bahrain had fulfilled its obligations on the return of the first three detainees and will do the same for the remaining three. ¶3. (U) The English-language Gulf Daily News June 28 ran an article about Bahraini detainee Juma Al Dossary's 13th attempt to commit suicide at GTMO, complete with lurid details. The report is based upon the American attorneys' notes from their visit to the facility in May. The attorneys call for "maximum efforts to be exerted in Bahrain" for the release of the three Bahraini detainees. ********************************************* ******** Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ ********************************************* ******** MONROE