BAHRAIN RESPONSE TO IRAQ NEIGHBORS CONFERENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000217 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2017 TAGS: PREL OIC ARAB LEAGUE UN IZ BA REGION SUBJECT: BAHRAIN RESPONSE TO IRAQ NEIGHBORS CONFERENCE DEMARCHE REF: STATE 28320 Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) DCM delivered reftel points March 7 to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Assistant Undersecretary for Coordination and Follow-up Shaikh Abdul-Aziz bin Mubarak Al Khalifa. Shaikh Abdul-Aziz stated that the meeting is important, pledged Bahrain's support for a successful outcome, and agreed that there must be a unified message to Iran and Syria to support stability and security in Iraq. When asked about a potential US - Iran meeting on the margins of the conference, the DCM replied that while no meeting has of yet been scheduled, if it were to take place, discussions would be narrowly limited to Iraq-related issues. ¶2. (C) Shaikh Abdul-Aziz said the MFA Director of Arab Affairs, Zuhair Mandeel, would be representing Bahrain at the conference, and may be accompanied by one or two other delegates. He relayed that March 6 the Turkish Ambassador in Bahrain invited the Bahraini delegation to join a Turkish flight leaving Istanbul early morning March 10 for the Baghdad meeting, and that the Kuwaiti delegation was scheduled to be on the same flight. Shaikh Abdul-Aziz said he understood that a second staging point out of Amman was being organized for other delegations, but the plan for the Bahrainis is to travel via Turkey. ********************************************* ******** Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ ********************************************* ******** MONROE