TRIBAL LEADER PLAYS POLITICS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 005111

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DHAHRAN SENDS
PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/27/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL SA BA
SUBJECT: TRIBAL LEADER PLAYS POLITICS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE
CAUSEWAY

Classified by Consul General John Kincannon for reason 1.4
(d).


1. (C) In a June 21 meeting with Consulate Dhahran and
Embassy Manama PolOffs, Essa Al-Dossary, self-styled deputy
sheikh of the Al-Dossary tribe in the Eastern Province (EP)
and the Kingdom of Bahrain, described to PolOffs the nature
of his influence on both sides of the causeway. Al-Dossary
explained that he is a leader of the branch of the Al-Dossary
tribe that migrated from Bahrain to the EP in 1923 after a
dispute with the Al-Khalifa family. According to Al-Dossary,
roughly 5,000 members of the tribe migrated at that time, of
whom several hundred returned to Bahrain soon thereafter.
Al-Dossary claimed that there are 60 to 70 thousand
Al-Dossaris currently in the EP who are in his branch of the
tribe. (Note: Al-Dossary's claim to be "deputy sheikh" of
this group of Al-Dossaris derives from the stature of his
elderly father, a leader of the group in his active years and
still its symbolic leader. Other Al-Dossary contacts told us
that Essa is not uniformly recognized as a tribal leader, and
one said he thought the number of Al-Dossaris from the
Bahrain branch in the EP was much lower than 60 to 70
thousand. End note.)


2. (C) Al-Dossary acknowledged that the authority of tribal
leaders had diminished greatly as the state developed. "When
our leader decided to leave Bahrain in 1923, everyone came
with him. Now, if I decided to go back, only my family would
come with me. Tribal sheikhs once controlled the road, now
we control only the sidewalk." Still, Al-Dossary continued,
he had "keys" at his disposal that gave him some authority:
"For example, if someone from my tribe commits a small
offense and gets put in prison, I might go to Prince Mohammed
(Emir of the EP) and use my relationship with the Prince to
get him released." Al-Dossary noted he maintained excellent
relations with Riyadh Governor Prince Salman and King Hamad
of Bahrain, in addition to Prince Mohammed.


3. (C) Another "key" Al-Dossary mentioned was his role as a
political broker in the context of elections in Bahrain. He
noted that all members of his branch of the Al-Dossary tribe
are eligible for Bahraini citizenship but declined to
estimate the number who had actually obtained it, saying only
that it was a "good number." Unless they owned property in
another district in Bahrain, Al-Dossary continued, those who
obtained Bahraini citizenship were registered in one of three
districts the Al-Dossary tribe had inhabited before migrating
in 1923. He identified two of these districts as Budaiya and
Zallaq and was quick to claim all three were heavily Sunni.
Al-Dossary said that he played a role as mediator, or broker,
between potential Al-Dossary rivals in the same constituency:
"In the last election, for example, in one of the districts
there were three or four Al-Dossaris who said they wanted to
run. I invited them over here to my office (in Dammam),and
we talked about the issues and negotiated, and we decided on
one candidate to run." Asked if he ever considered running,
Al-Dossary said no, explaining that "If I was a candidate,
then I would not be in a position to support another
candidate. I would lose one of my keys." (Note: In a
conversation with Pol FSN, another member of the Al-Dossary
tribe estimated that 20 to 30 thousand Saudi Al-Dossaris had
Bahraini citizenship, although he said this number included
some Al-Dossaris who were not from the branch that migrated
in 1923. He also claimed that it had become more difficult
over the past few years for Saudi Al-Dossaris to obtain
Bahraini citizenship due, he speculated, to political
sensitivities. End note.)


4. (C) Comment: Al-Dossary's comments offer a snapshot of
how tribal identities continue to matter in Saudi Arabia and
Bahrain, even as the state's importance grows and the tribe's
wanes. As he clearly understands, whatever influence
Al-Dossary possesses as a tribal leader comes from his
"wasta" with key ruling family members. His leadership among
the Al-Dossaris, to the extent that it exists, depends on the
favors officials like Prince Mohammed bestow via his
intervention. To the extent that the wasta system loses
importance or that other means develop to tap into the
system, his influence would diminish. In his discussing how
the possibility of dual citizenship for Al-Dossaris impacts
Bahraini elections, Al-Dossary was clearly sensitive to, and
trying to refute, Bahraini Shi'a claims that Bahrain's policy
of offering dual citizenship to some Saudi (Sunni) nationals
greatly disadvantages the Shi'a. End comment.


5. (U) This cable has been cleared by Embassy Manama
Political Officer Michael Mussi.

RIYADH 00005111 002 OF 002



(APPROVED: KINCANNON)
OBERWETTER