AMBASSADOR AND COR FIRST DEPUTY CHAIRMAN AL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000224 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL BA POL SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR AND COR FIRST DEPUTY CHAIRMAN AL BUAINAIN DISCUSS BAHRAIN'S LEGISLATIVE SESSION Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) . -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Recently-elected Council of Representatives (COR) First Deputy Chairman Ghanem Al Buainain told the Ambassador March 5 he is willing to cooperate with Shia representatives in the COR despite his suspicion of their community,s links to Tehran. Al Buainain listed areas his Al Asala (Salafi) bloc had cooperated with the Shia opposition society Al Wifaq, and acknowledged the need for the ruling family to accommodate some Shia demands. His comments suggest some opening for cooperation and progress in the COR, but also note the ongoing mutual mistrust among its members from different sects. End Summary. -------------- WARY OF SHIA LINKS TO TEHRAN -------------- ¶2. (C) The Ambassador opened the March 5 meeting by congratulating Al Buainain on becoming First Deputy Chairman of the COR. Al Buainain thanked the Ambassador and expressed his regard for American people and society. He warned, however, that anti-U.S. sentiment among some groups in the Arab world stemmed from resentment over U.S. policy on Iraq and the Palestinians. Al Buainain said his message for Bahraini Shia is that "Hamad is your king, not Ayatollah Khamenei." Although he did not give specifics, he alleged that some Bahraini Shia are under Tehran,s umbrella and support an Iran-style theocracy. He expressed particular suspicion of Isa Qassim - Bahrain,s most influential Shia cleric - noting that Qassim was educated in Iran. -------------- SUNNIS, SHIAS, AND GOVERNMENT MUST COOPERATE -------------- ¶3. (C) Al Buainain was nonetheless optimistic about cooperating with Al Wifaq now that it had entered the political system. Observers had expected Al Wifaq and Al Asala to remain enemies, but Al Asala had consulted with Al Wifaq leader Ali Salman and other MPs "with an open heart." They had initially discussed Al Wifaq taking one of the leadership positions in the COR, but Al Wifaq ended up not pursuing a slot. Al Asala also plans to join a committee Al Wifaq proposed to revise the COR,s bylaws. He said the two blocs should focus first on economic programs that both support, involving salaries, housing, and employment. More contentious issues like revising the constitution or electoral system could wait, although Al Buainain noted that Al Wifaq,s primary obstacle on these issues is the appointed upper house, not Al Asala. ¶4. (C) The Ambassador noted the paramount importance of demonstrating to Shias that political participation could produce results. Al Buainain agreed, predicting that if Al Wifaq was not able to achieve some measure of success in the COR, it could result in a period of serious unrest. He stressed the need for the ruling family to cooperate and criticized it for shelving 25 of 27 bills COR members had proposed during their previous four-year term, an issue of contentious debate in recent weeks. He said he had written to the government requesting greater cooperation, and he anticipates a positive response. ¶5. (C) Al Buainain referred several times to government-legislature tension in Kuwait, remarking "we don't want that." (Comment: Bahraini press that morning covered in detail the Kuwaiti cabinet,s resignation in advance of the National Assembly,s expected no-confidence vote on the Health Minister.) Al Buainain nevertheless criticized Bahraini ministers who seem disengaged from their ministries's activities. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) There appears to be some opening for Al Asala-Al Wifaq cooperation in the short term on a discrete set of issues. Al Asala legislators have raised some of Al Wifaq's core issues on the COR floor, which Al Wifaq deputy Jawad Fairuz told us he and his colleagues had urged. Similarly, Al Wifaq MPs have echoed Al Buainain,s desire to build consensus on economic issues first. This unlikely partnership, however, may not last long, as Al Wifaq plans MANAMA 00000224 002 OF 002 eventually to raise more divisive constitutional issues. In the words of one Al Wifaq contact, "we don,t trust them." ********************************************* ******** Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ ********************************************* ******** MONROE