AMBASSADOR AND CUSTOMS HEAD OPEN MEPI IPR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000923

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA/ARP, NEA/PI, IO/OIC, EB/TRA
STATE PASS TO USTR FOR JBUNTIN AND DWALLACE
COMMERCE FOR USPTO
COAST GUARD ROTTERDAM FOR LCDR RKEITH
HOMELAND SECURITY/CBP FOR RVGONZALEZ

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/28/2016
TAGS: EWWT ECON ASEC KMPI BA REGION BILAT OFFICIALS
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR AND CUSTOMS HEAD OPEN MEPI IPR
WORKSHOP, REVIEW CUSTOMS AND PORTS ISSUES

Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (U) The Ambassador joined President of Customs, Ports and
Free Zones Shaikh Daij Bin Salman Al-Khalifa May 21 to open a
MEPI-funded USPTO Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Border
Enforcement Workshop. The two met on May 22 to discuss
bilateral cooperation to enhance Bahrain's port security.
Shaikh Daij also outlined modernization and privatization
plans and assured the Ambassador that Bahraini Customs would
be prepared to implement the FTA immediately upon entry into
force. End Summary.

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MEPI USPTO WORKSHOP
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2. (U) The Ambassador joined Shaikh Daij Bin Salman
Al-Khalifa May 21 in opening a MEPI-funded USPTO IPR Border
Enforcement Workshop in Manama. Some fifty customs officials
with IPR enforcement responsibilities from throughout the
MEPI region attended the two-day event. The program featured
presentations, panel discussions, group discussions and case
studies on various aspects of IPR enforcement and received
favorable local press coverage.

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U.S. EXPERTISE SOUGHT
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3. (U) In a meeting on May 22, Shaikh Daij praised the
conference. "We need to publicize the positive stories as
much as we can," he said. He hoped to expand cooperation and
coordination with the U.S. to enhance Bahraini port security
and said he wished to see additional workshops and other
training opportunities. He welcomed U.S. advice and
expertise. Further visits from U.S. experts as well as
Bahraini visits to consult with counterparts in the U.S.
would be useful. He is also seeking capacity-building
assistance from the International Maritime Organization.


4. (U) The Ambassador thanked Shaikh Daij for his office's
support of a recent U.S. Coast Guard team's evaluation of
Bahrain's implementation of the International Ship and Port
Facility Security Code, a comprehensive set of measures to
enhance the security of ships and port facilities. Shaikh
Daij expressed interest in receiving a copy of any report on
the Coast Guard team's findings. The Ambassador assured him
that Post looked forward to assisting in this regard.

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CUSTOMS AND PORTS TO MODERNIZE AND PRIVATIZE
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5. (C) Shaikh Daij said that since he had assumed his
position in March, he had sought to modernize Customs, Ports
and Free Zones. "They accuse me here of moving very fast - I
want this to be a more efficient organization." He
complained that the bureaucracy he had inherited continued to
rely on manual procedures and said he had initiated a move to
automated processes that he hoped would be complete before
the end of the year, when his offices were scheduled to
relocate to Hidd, near the new Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman
port. He described his plans for right-sizing; roughly half
of his 1400 employees were to be offered early retirement at
year end. Half of these would be offered employment by new
port concessionaire AP Moeller.


6. (SBU) Shaikh Daij said that prior to the privatization of
Bahrain's ports, concession decrees still needed to be passed
by the Shura (parliamentary upper house) before the projected
session close at the end of June. He said there were also
six agreements that needed to be finalized with AP Moeller
before the handover could be completed. (Note: AP Moeller
officials told Econoff May 7 that the firm intends to assume
management of Mina Salman port in July. End Note)


MANAMA 00000923 002 OF 002



7. (U) Shaikh Daij said construction of the new Shaikh
Khalifa Bin Salman Port in Hidd would be complete in two
years and would begin operations in 2009. He predicted the
new port would open smoothly, as AP Moeller will by then have
had substantial experience running Mina Salman port.

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FTA
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8. On preparations for U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement
(FTA) implementation, Shaikh Daij said that ironically,
Bahraini Customs' reliance on manual processes could allow
for more flexible and rapid accommodation of the FTA. He
assured the Ambassador that Bahraini Customs would implement
the FTA from day one of entry into force. "If your people
are doing it, ours will be doing it."

MONROE