CENTRAL COMMAND GENERAL ABIZAID'S MAY 8 MEETING

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 000824

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2016
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS ASEC PTER BA IR IZ REGION
BILAT, OFFICIALS, CTR
SUBJECT: CENTRAL COMMAND GENERAL ABIZAID'S MAY 8 MEETING
WITH KING HAMAD

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

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Summary
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1. (S) Centcom Commander General Abizaid met with King Hamad
May 8 and discussed the May 6 GCC Consultative Meeting in
Riyadh, the Iranian threat, placement of a regional
counter-terrorism center in Bahrain, Iraq, and the upcoming
parliamentary elections. The King said the GCC Secretary
General had read aloud President Bush's letter to the GCC
leaders, the first time such a thing was done. Saudi King
Abdullah had requested that Omani Deputy PM Sayyid Fahd
undertake a trip to Tehran to discuss Iran's nuclear program.
King Hamad said the GCC leaders had put aside their petty
differences to work on the Iran issue with a unified front.
He recommended that any military strike on Iran should target
the regime and not just the nuclear program. In the event
that Iran obtains nuclear weapons, the U.S. should consider
declaring the GCC to be "under its umbrella." The King was
pleased that Bahrain had been designated the home of a
regional counter-terrorism center, and would look to the
United States to help upgrade the sophistication of the local
intelligence system. The King hoped the next Iraqi
government was strong enough to take on its security
responsibilities. In reference to the parliamentary
elections later this year, the King said he would balance a
more "militant" elected lower house by changing the
composition of the appointed upper house. End Summary.

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POTUS Letter Read Aloud at GCC Meeting
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2. (C) In their May 8 meeting, King Hamad bin Issa Al
Khalifa told Central Command's General Abizaid that Saudi
King Abdullah had instructed the GCC Secretary General to
read aloud President Bush's letter to heads of state at the
GCC Consultative Meeting in Riyadh on May 6, saying this was
the first time such a thing was done. The King said the
letter was very clear, had everything in it, and reflected a
great deal of experience in the region. He said that King
Abdullah had proposed sending a GCC delegation to Iran to
demonstrate the countries' solidarity against Iran's nuclear
activities. The ostensible reason for the trip would be to
address regional environmental concerns but in fact the
envoy, Omani Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Fahd, would discuss
the nuclear program. (Note: The King said Sayyid Fahd did
not want to take on the mission but that King Abdullah had
insisted.) The GCC believes there should be no nuclear
activities in the region and that the Gulf should be free of
all WMD.


3. (C) Commenting on the mood at the meeting, the King said
it was important that the GCC leaders had put aside their
little differences to work on the Iran issue with a unified
front. King Abdullah had said there should be no sign of
dispute in the meeting minutes. He had urged the leaders to
work together "because the threat is getting bigger." King
Abdullah had continued that the GCC's allies would provide
assistance if the GCC showed solidarity.

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Target Iranian Regime, Not Nukes
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4. (C) King Hamad said he had been asked what he would do if
he had to deal with the Iranian challenge, and he had replied
that he was glad he would not be the one to do it. He
advised General Abizaid that, if there were a military
strike, the target should be the regime and not just the
nuclear program. Although there were some good people in the
Iranian government, including Foreign Minister Motakki, who
he noted he would meet later that day, he said the regime was
bad. He said that he would tell Motakki that, even if Iran
had the right to develop a civilian nuclear program, it was
not the smart thing to do if Iran wanted to be a part of the
international community. The Gulf is "a small lake" and the
GCC does not want it to be destroyed or contaminated.


5. (C) The King stated that Iranian President Ahmadi-Nejad
had called him and asked if the GCC could help Iran deal with
the United States. The King had responded that the GCC could
do nothing while Iran occupied several islands in the Gulf.
Ahmadi-Nejad had said he could give all guarantees that there

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would be no radiation leaks from the nuclear program and that
the GCC could send its experts to inspect Iranian facilities.
Referring to news of Ahmadi-Nejad sending a letter to
President Bush, the King told General Abizaid that Iran was
just trying to gain time.

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GCC Preparing for Possible Conflict
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6. (C) The King suggested that if Iran obtained nuclear
weapons, the U.S. should consider declaring the GCC to be
"under its umbrella." General Abizaid replied that we would
stand by our good allies and friends and the U.S. would not
allow the Gulf to be dominated by Iranian mullahs. The King
said that the U.S. was a strong ally and the "greatest
support" to Bahrain. The GCC countries were now talking
quietly about plans to assist each other in the event of a
conflict in the region. He said the GCC would do its part on
Iran and that the U.S. and GCC should continue their close
consultations. General Abizaid advised that the U.S. and GCC
member states could work together on a bilateral basis to
improve the shared early warning system for air defense,
using the PAC-3 and U.S. Navy platforms. Such a system would
add to the security and confidence of the region.

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Bahrain Home to Regional CT Center
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6. (S) The King said that at the Consultative Meeting, King
Abdullah had supported the idea of a regional
counter-terrorism center and had made a surprise announcement
that he wanted the center to be located in Bahrain. King
Hamad quickly accepted, and was pleased that the other
leaders backed the proposal. GCC Ministers of Interior will
meet in two weeks to study the details of the center and make
solid recommendations at the GCC Summit in December. The
King said the advantages of hosting the center outweighed the
disadvantages. Bahrain would look to the United States for
support on the technical side to improve the sophistication
of the local intelligence system. Bahrain needs its GCC
partners to assist in funding the construction of the center,
which would need to be an extremely secure and well-protected
facility. King Abdullah had said that he wanted the center
to be in Bahrain because "Bahrain is the most secure country
in the Gulf."

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Strong Leadership Needed in Iraq
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7. (C) Turning to Iraq, the King said that "from day one,"
he thought the post-Saddam government should be strong, even
if it was a military government in civilian clothes. A
gradual transformation of the country is better than turning
it upside down suddenly. After Saddam was deposed, exiles
"who speak well," like Chalabi and Jaafari, were given a
chance, but they were not tough enough. Iraqi forces now had
to step up and take on the role of protecting security in the
country. Although the Iraqis had missed some opportunities,
there was still time. In response to General Abizaid's
question, the King said that Jordan has close links with
Iraqi Sunnis and should take the lead on working with that
community.

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Shura Council to Balance "Militants" in Lower House
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8. (C) In an unusual detour, the King turned to domestic
politics, saying that people were worried about "militant"
MPs being elected to the lower house of parliament, the
Council of Representatives (COR). He said there was no
reason to worry because the appointed upper house, the Shura
Council, serves as a balance to the COR. If the elected MPs
"are Salafis or Hizballah," then he will make sure the upper
house continues to serve as a check on them. Although there
are "demagogues" in the COR, the Shura members are more
clever and give the government a harder time. He warned,
however, that if the "Hizballah" MPs supported Iran, there
could be problems. (Comment: He presumably is referring to
leading Shia opposition society Al Wifaq when using the term
Hizballah. While some members may support Lebanese
Hizballah, Al Wifaq is not a terrorist, or even a violent,
group.) The King said he is doing what he can to build up
public confidence in the political system, even, for the

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first time, revealing the budget of the Royal Court.

MONROE