BAHRAIN REFORM STRATEGY: FIRST QUARTER 2006

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 000710 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PI ABU DHABI FOR MEPI REGIONAL OFFICE E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/18/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM KMPI ECON KPAO BA BILAT REFORM POL SUBJECT: BAHRAIN REFORM STRATEGY: FIRST QUARTER 2006 PROGRESS UPDATE REF: 05 STATE 152818 Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) The reporting period was marked by tumult on the political scene as competing Shia groups jockeyed for the support of their community. Leading Shia opposition society Al Wifaq remained preoccupied with organizing itself internally following its decision, along with several other opposition groups, to register with the government as a political society. The hardline breakaway Haq Movement chose the path of confrontation and held a series of rallies, many of which led to clashes with security forces. NDI's democracy promotion project was mostly inactive as the organization attempted to negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the Bahrain Institute for Political Development to regularize its status in the country. Negotiations to date have been unsuccessful and the NDI representative may be forced to depart the country. A draft family law protecting the rights of women and children sparked controversy while a MEPI-supported March conference highlighted "Successes of Women as Leaders of Change." A draft press law being debated in parliament attempts to grapple with the issues of censorship and appropriate penalties to be applied for violations by journalists. MEPI supported a workshop to train journalists on covering elections. The Bahraini parliament is in the final stages of addressing outstanding free trade agreement implementation requirements as activities to promote the agreement kick off. End Summary. -------------- Political -------------- ¶2. (C) The political participation scene during the reporting period was characterized by sometimes violent demonstrations and defiance by Shia hardliners in the Haq Movement while main Shia opposition group Al Wifaq focused on organizing itself internally in preparation for a possible decision to participate in the late 2006 parliamentary elections. (Al Wifaq has already announced it will participate in municipal council elections, also in 2006.) Many Haq Movement supporters are former Al Wifaq members who left following Al Wifaq's decision to register with the government under the 2005 political societies law. (Several other opposition political societies also registered with the government.) In the competition between the two groups for Shia support, Haq has chosen rejection and confrontation with the government while Al Wifaq has adopted a more low-key, policy-oriented approach. Haq's support for, if not organization of, a rash of sometimes violent confrontations between masked youth and security forces in March and April appears to have backfired. Shia residents of the areas where protesters used to launch attacks on police were often caught in the middle and were forced to endure tear gas, burning tires and dumpsters, and police barricades. As residents' patience for the protesters' tactics declined, and Al Wifaq and Shia clerics made public statements against the violent tactics, the disturbances subsided. ¶3. (C) Al Wifaq still has not made a public decision to participate in the parliamentary elections, but it appears to be heading in that direction. An Al Wifaq leadership council member told us that the society may still require a concession of some type from the King before it announces its participation. There are no indications the King or government will do so, and yet Al Wifaq continues to signal that it will contest the elections. The timing of the parliamentary elections has not yet been set, but observers believe September or November are the most likely options. ¶4. (C) The National Democratic Institute's (NDI) democracy project has not been able to conduct programming during the reporting period. The MFA sent a diplomatic note in early January saying that NDI could not conduct any programs while it negotiates an MOU with the Bahrain Institute for Political Development (BIPD) to regularize its status in Bahrain. Thus far the negotiations have not been successful, despite senior official involvement in Bahrain and Washington, and the NDI representative may be forced to depart the country. In the meantime, however, he continues to consult with political society leaders and draft analyses of issues in the run-up to MANAMA 00000710 002 OF 003 elections. -------------- Women's Empowerment -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The issue of development of a family law continued to spark controversy. Following a Supreme Council for Women-funded awareness campaign in favor of a law, and the hostile reaction by both Sunni and Shia religious scholars against it, the issue moved out of the streets and into quieter, calmer surroundings. The government drafted a law composed of two sections - one consistent with Shia Jaafari law, the other drawn from Sunni Maliki law - and worked with parliamentarians, clerics, NGOs and other stakeholders to promote a Sharia-consistent family law. The government passed the draft law to parliament, initiating a round of discussions between Shia clerics and MPs. A recent press report stated that the government is considering withdrawing the draft law and waiting until after the elections for the parliament to address it. ¶6. (SBU) Following on an earlier Freedom House conference, the GOB and USG partnered to host and organize the March 26-28 conference to celebrate "Successes of Women as Leaders of Change." More than 120 women leaders from 16 Arab countries shared their achievements in the legal, economic, and political fields, and developed strategies for action to build on these successes. Press coverage of the event was extensive and positive, to include regional press and satellite television. Additionally, Bahrain hosted the Arab Women's Legal Network Conference, which included women lawyers, judges, professors, and advisors from seven Arab countries. -------------- Press Freedom -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The Bahraini government continues to view with suspicion weblogs and internet forums that allow citizens to express their views unfiltered. While the Ministry of Information has demanded that all Bahrain-based websites register with the Ministry, it has not attempted to enforce this directive fully. ¶8. (SBU) A new press law is being debated in the lower house of parliament and has attracted a lot of attention and controversy. The central points of contention are censorship and penalties for violations by journalists. In a telling comment, King Hamad said in a February interview that he opposed censorship but noted, "The last thing I can think of is muzzling the press, whether there is a law or not. The real power is self-censorship and doing what is good for the country." ¶9. (SBU) Through a MEPI small grant, the Bahrain Journalists Association hosted a training workshop covering elections. Trainers from the University of Missouri taught journalists techniques for creating balanced, professional coverage of the 2006 elections and helped participants formulate a "Reporters Code of Conduct" for elections. The workshop, which was opened by Parliament Speaker Khalifa Dhahrani, also helped build capacity for Bahrain's only functioning professional journalism association. At the urging of BJA Chairman Isa Al Shaiji, Dhahrani made a public statement against the imprisonment of journalists, which set the stage for the current debate in parliament over the draft press law. ¶10. (SBU) State-owned Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation (BRTC) appointed a new CEO who is spearheading changes within the organization. The MEPI-funded CHUM assessment of BRTC provides a set of recommendations to restructure and reinvigorate its management and operations and to strengthen local news content and editorial independence. -------------- Rule of Law -------------- ¶11. (SBU) The Ministry of Justice, with input from MEPI-funded contractor EDC, completed the draft of an anti-trafficking-in-persons law, the first of its kind in Bahrain and in the Gulf. The law will fill a void in Bahrain's legal protections and will allow for the prosecution of traffickers. Also on the legal front, the Ministry of Justice continued its process of improving the MANAMA 00000710 003 OF 003 professionalism of Bahrain's judges, prosecutors, and lawyers and enhancing international linkages in the judicial field. The Ministry launched a program to improve the Bahrain Bar Association's ability to provide oversight and regulation of its members. For the first time, the Ministry held a two-day strategic planning retreat. It installed video and recording equipment in two courtrooms and rolled out an Alternate Dispute Resolution program for civil cases. MEPI implementer the American Bar Association provided technical assistance for these activities. -------------- Economic -------------- ¶12. (SBU) The reporting period witnessed Bahraini action to implement and benefit from the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA),which was ratified by both countries' legislatures in 2005. Bahrain formed an FTA Implementing Committee, a public-private partnership. The GOB presented legislation to parliament to address shortcomings in the country's intellectual property regime, a requirement for implementation of the agreement. It also moved quickly to present draft laws to parliament dealing with labor issues to bring its labor laws into conformance with the International Labor Organization's core labor standards. ¶13. (SBU) Commerce Secretary Gutierrez's February visit served to kick off promotion of the FTA. He met with the Bahraini senior leadership, including the King and Prime Minister, and held a widely covered press event and an interview on Arab satellite business channel CNBC Arabiya. He delivered the keynote address at a one-day conference on free trade agreements in the Middle East, which was attended by some 400 American and regional business people. In a survey of many attendees, most agreed that the conference enhanced their understanding of the FTA and allowed for useful networking between American and Arab business people. Booz Allen Hamilton held several workshops for Bahrain's business community on industry and services sectors that could benefit from the FTA. ¶14. (SBU) The Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence in Bahrain focused on securing additional (non-U.S.) G-8 funding, identifying candidates for the Executive Director position, and launching its activities. The UK government agreed to fund a mini-MBA program, which will graduate its first students shortly. The Commercial Law Development Program worked closely with the Ministry of Justice, Economic Development Board, and Ministry of Industry and Commerce on a new companies law and additional commercial law reform. -------------- Civic Education -------------- ¶15. (SBU) The MEPI-funded Center for Civic Education (CCE) conducted a training of 60 Ministry of Education primary school teachers in the "Foundations of Democracy" program, which teaches children about civic responsibility and participation through story books. Class sets of the books were distributed to nearly 100 primary school classrooms throughout the country. CCE also conducted refresher training for 34 teachers in the "Project Citizen" program, which promotes volunteerism and youth empowerment with high-school age students, which expanded in the quarter from 2 to 11 secondary schools (one-third of all secondary schools in Bahrain). ACCESS/Microscholarships' English-language program launched in Ministry of Education schools for the first time, with 200 Bahraini students from poor or underserved communities participating. Students developed English-language skills while receiving exposure to American culture through lesson content and cultural events such as Embassy visits featuring a meeting with the Ambassador. MONROE