FOREIGN MINISTER DISCUSSES ARAB PEACE INITIATIVE,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000319 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/04/2017 TAGS: PREL KPAL BA IS IR IZ REGION OFFICIALS SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER DISCUSSES ARAB PEACE INITIATIVE, IRAQ, IRAN Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) . -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid told the Ambassador April 4 that he had praised the Arab peace initiative in a recent interview because it was an attempt to get outside "the bubble of historical conflict" over Israel. There will be a meeting of the Arab League peace initiative action committee in Cairo in mid-April, and Bahrain would have "no reservations" about meeting face-to-face with Israel if it is a member of the working group charged with talking to Israel. Noting he had met with former Iraqi interim Prime Minister Allawi the previous day, Shaikh Khalid said there should be support for people who favor a non-sectarian, non-ethnic approach to Iraqi politics. He said that now is the time for the Arabs to engage with the Iraqi government so the Iraqis "feel we're with them." He noted that Saudi Prince Bandar had delivered a stern message recently to Iran, saying everyone would lose in a broad Sunni-Shia conflict. Shaikh Khalid dismissed the likelihood of a "grand rapprochement" between Saudi Arabia and Iran. End Summary. -------------- FM Addresses Peace Initiative in Interview -------------- ¶2. (C) Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa told the Ambassador April 4 that his comments in support of the Arab peace initiative published in an interview with Arabic daily Al Ayam (and in English in the Bahrain Tribune) needed to be said. The initiative was an attempt to get outside of "the bubble of historical conflict" over Israel and for the people of the region to accept each other. Jews had lived with Arabs and Muslims throughout history. People should recognize that while they may have differences, they are not enemies, and that the problems will be solved one day. Israel has to do its part as well, the ForMin said. He noted that Israeli envoy in the Gulf Kashdan had called him to say he liked the interview. Shaikh Khalid had suggested that an Israeli newspaper should print it. ¶3. (C) In response to the Ambassador's comment about recent press coverage critical of a Bahraini official for having met with representatives of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) during an early March visit, and Shaikh Khalid's defense of the meeting in the Al-ayam interview, the Minister said that he could not accept this sort of criticism. It is important to talk to the AJC and other American groups that Israel listens to. They should know the Bahraini government's views, he asserted. He said he had read and enjoyed the Washington Post's April 3 article about Bahraini Ambassador Al Baloushi participating in a Passover Seder dinner organized by the AJC. "Let parliament react," he said, "I don't care." Al Baloushi was doing the right thing by participating in this sort of festival. What's the problem with that, he asked rhetorically. -------------- Direct Contact with Israel under Arab Plan -------------- ¶4. (C) The next step on the peace initiative, the Minister said, is for the members of the action committee to meet in mid-April in Cairo to form working groups. (Note: There are nine other members of the action committee, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, among others.) Each working group will be responsible for discussing the initiative with outside countries and organizations. In response to the Ambassador's question, Shaikh Khalid said Bahrain would have "no reservations" about participating in the working group charged with talking to Israel. "There is no barrier for us to get together with Israel face-to-face" in the context of the initiative and the working group. It should not just be Egypt and Jordan talking to Israel. The whole of the Arab world supports the initiative, including talks with Israel, and the working group members are the representatives. Shaikh Khalid noted that Egyptian Foreign Minister Abul Gheit will visit Bahrain April 7-8, and they will discuss the composition of the working groups. -------------- Allawi's Non-Sectarian Approach -------------- ¶5. (C) The Ambassador stated that Saudi King Abdullah's MANAMA 00000319 002 OF 002 comment at the Arab League Summit in Riyadh about the "illegal occupation" of Iraq had been jarring to Iraq and the United States. Shaikh Khalid said he did not know why King Abdullah had said this, and he commented that the White House statement on the subject had been very responsible. He hoped there would be no more public discussion about the issue so it would just go away. Noting that he had met with former Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi a day earlier, the ForMin said there should be support for Allawi and those who think like him, who favor a non-sectarian, non-ethnic approach to Iraqi politics. People should be considered Iraqis first, not according to their sect or ethnicity. Sectarian distribution is not a part of the Iraqi constitution, but Shaikh Khalid said the political system was moving that way. ¶6. (C) Allawi had complained that Najaf and southern Iraq were now controlled by Iran through SCIRI, Shaikh Khalid reported. A member of Allawi's delegation, Radwan Kalidar, had said that his family had been the caretakers of the Najaf mosque for generations. Now supporters of Iran held the position. The ForMin said the Arab countries had to help Iraq now. There were indications, he claimed, that the United States would pull out of Iraq in a year. "We have to move before that happens," he stated. The Arab League (AL) mechanism for reconciliation had been accepted by all Iraqis, but the AL had not yet held a conference in Baghdad, as it had said it would. Let's do it now, Shaikh Khalid said, and let the Iraqis feel we're with them, and are not leaving them to Iran. ¶7. (C) The Minister related that Allawi thought that his Iraq List slate of candidates was under-represented in the Iraqi parliament. There had been reports of intimidation in the polling centers, and Iraq List voters had felt exposed because there were no private booths for voters to use while casting their ballots. -------------- Dealing with Iran -------------- ¶8. (C) Shaikh Khalid said that Saudi Prince Bandar had recently visited Tehran and delivered a stern message. The key point was that if there is a broad Sunni-Shia conflict, "we both lose." The ForMin did not think there would be a "grand rapprochement" between Saudi Arabia and Iran. They are trying to understand each other but have many differences. The Ambassador said that UN Security Council Resolution 1747 tightens sanctions further on Iran. Shaikh Khalid affirmed that Bahrain would implement the sanctions in full and indicated that he had been in touch with the Finance Minister and Central Bank Governor on this issue. He noted that the Russians seemed to be growing increasingly skeptical of Iran. National Security Advisor Ivanov had told him last November that Russia did not trust Iran and did not know what Iran was doing in its nuclear program. Shaikh Khalid reported that the Iranian government was calling for a meeting of the Bahrain-Iran joint committee in Tehran, but he was stalling. ********************************************* ******** Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ ********************************************* ******** MONROE