Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07MANAMA195
2007-03-01 14:46:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Manama
Cable title:  

BAHRAIN: ARAB LEAGUE FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING IN

Tags:  PREL BA REGION 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO1804
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHMK #0195 0601446
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 011446Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6485
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHBVAKS/COMUSNAVCENT PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000195 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2017
TAGS: PREL BA REGION
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: ARAB LEAGUE FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING IN
CAIRO MARCH 3-4

REF: A. STATE 24372


B. MANAMA 0167

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000195

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2017
TAGS: PREL BA REGION
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: ARAB LEAGUE FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING IN
CAIRO MARCH 3-4

REF: A. STATE 24372


B. MANAMA 0167

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


1. (C) The Ambassador March 1 delivered reftel demarche
concerning the March 3-4 Arab League (AL) Foreign Ministers
meeting in Cairo to Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Nizar Al Baharna, who will represent the GOB at the meeting.
(Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa is in
Washington at this time.) Al Baharna noted that he would go
directly from the Cairo meeting to a session with GCC foreign
ministers in Riyadh on March 5.


2. (C) On the Israel-Palestinian situation, Al Baharna said
there will be "lots of questions" from the public and the
Palestinians for the AL to show support for the national
unity government. He noted that Hamas political head Khalid
Mashaal, in a public statement within the past few days,
struggled to say something he did not want to say - that
Hamas would accept Israel's right to exist if Israel withdrew
to the pre-1967 borders and supported the creation of an
independent Palestine. In Al Baharna's view, Hamas and the
Quartet are virtually "singing the same tune." The
Ambassador disagreed, saying the Quartet required Hamas to
recognize Israel before engaging. How could Israel possibly
engage with an entity that refuses its right to exist? He
cautioned there would be no give on the Quartet principles.


3. (C) On Iraq, the Ambassador asked Al Baharna for
Bahrain's thoughts on the March 10 Neighbors Conference in
Baghdad. Al Baharna said that Turkey had offered to
transport officials from Ankara to Baghdad, and would
probably make the same offer for the ministerial level
meeting in April. He stated, however, that at the March 5
GCC meeting in Riyadh, ministers would discuss GCC
participation at the March 10 Baghdad meeting. Bahrain, he
said, would not go to Baghdad alone, it would have to go with
other GCC ministers. There are still serious concerns about
the safety of going to Baghdad. The Ambassador replied that
the March 10 meeting represented an important opportunity to
support Iraq, and Bahrain should not miss out. (Comment: Al
Baharna's comments contrast with those of Foreign Minister
Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa a week earlier (Ref B),
when he clearly stated that Bahrain supports holding a
Neighbors Conference inside Iraqi territory. Al Baharna is
relatively new to his job and we do not know exactly how
authoritatively he can speak for the GOB.)


4. (C) Al Baharna said that Bahrain and the United States
share many of the same concerns about Iran. Al Baharna
suggested that Iran may be trying to find a way to comply
with P5 1 requirements that would allow it to "save face,"
particularly on uranium enrichment. The entire region is
concerned about the possible impact of an Iranian nuclear
weapons program. "It's bad for all," he said.


5. (C) Al Baharna had no substantive comment about Sudan,
and stated that the U.S. and Bahrain were like-minded on
Lebanon.


********************************************* ********
Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/
********************************************* ********
MONROE