Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07MANAMA450
2007-05-17 15:18:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Manama
Cable title:  

NDI STAFF VISIT OUTLINES WAY FORWARD FOR

Tags:  PGOV PREL BA BILAT POL 
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VZCZCXRO8578
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHMK #0450/01 1371518
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 171518Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6823
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHBVAKS/COMUSNAVCENT PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000450 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL BA BILAT POL
SUBJECT: NDI STAFF VISIT OUTLINES WAY FORWARD FOR
PROGRAMMING IN BAHRAIN


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

-------
Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000450

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL BA BILAT POL
SUBJECT: NDI STAFF VISIT OUTLINES WAY FORWARD FOR
PROGRAMMING IN BAHRAIN


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

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) Two representatives from the National Democratic
Institute (NDI) visited Bahrain May 10-15 and met with a wide
range of government officials, parliamentarians, and civil
society representatives to discuss the resumption of NDI
activities in Bahrain. NDI staff outlined their intention to
focus their work on the institutions of parliament. The
overarching message from the GOB to NDI was that the door was
open to NDI's return, but there needs to be cooperation with
the Bahrain Institute for Political Development (BIPD) and
its leadership. BIPD officials agreed to move forward in
collaboration on a fall program, and chose to defer on
whether the development of a formal MOU between the two
organizations was necessary. NDI also conveyed to the
Minister of Social Development a desire to work with youth
societies on activities related to civic responsibility in a
democracy. Post is cautiously optimistic about NDI's plan to
move forward, but NDI will need to guard against being
subsumed by BIPD, thereby losing independence, and
potentially credibility, in the eyes of NDI's long-time
supporters. In the coming weeks, the Ambassador will stress
to senior leadership the importance of taking advantage of
this very reasonable NDI plan of action (in a way that allows
NDI to operate without compromising its independence),
thereby removing a negative element that has been hanging
over an otherwise very positive bilateral relationship. End
summary.

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Focus on Parliament
--------------


2. (C) NDI country project director Scott Bates and regional
program director Leigh Catherine Miles visited Bahrain May
10-15 to discuss NDI resuming its work in Bahrain. Meeting
with three government ministers (Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs, Justice and Islamic Affairs, and Social
Development),the heads of the two chambers of parliament
(the elected Council of Representatives (COR) and the
appointed Shura Council),individual MPs, and leadership of
BIPD, NDI outlined its intent to focus its work on the two

chambers of parliament as institutions, rather than on
political party development, as NDI had done prior to its
departure in May 2006. NDI proposed programming on topics
such as executive/legislative branch relations, MP
interactions with the media, building the capacity of COR and
Shura technical staff, and legislative drafting, among other
areas. Per a conversation on May 10 with Minister of Justice
and Islamic Affairs Shaikh Khalid Bin Ali Al Khalifa, since
NDI would not target political societies in its programming,
legal restrictions preventing political societies from
receiving "benefits" from outside organizations would not
apply to NDI's work with members of parliament.

--------------
Cooperation with BIPD, UNDP
--------------


3. (C) In discussions May 14, BIPD Secretary General Lulwa
Al Awadhi and Executive Director Dr. Abdulla Al Asha'al
welcomed NDI collaboration with BIPD on programs for the
parliament. They were quick to raise the issue of
establishing an MOU, but Bates suggested that the two
organizations conduct a joint activity in October or November
to build goodwill, and then they could sit down to discuss
the possibility of drafting an MOU. This idea was agreeable
to Al Awadhi and Al Asha'al. They also suggested that NDI
help build the capacity of BIPD staff and support a
certificate program in political studies BIPD is developing
that will commence in September. The importance of
cooperation with BIPD was echoed clearly by both heads of the
parliamentary chambers May 15, saying that the institutions
would work with NDI as long as programming was conducted with
BIPD.


4. (C) In a follow up discussion May 15 on BIPD programming,
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) program analyst
Mohamed Al Sharif outlined the extent of UNDP's involvement
with BIPD. UNDP, under an MOU with BIPD, has become BIPD's
primary partner and provider of content for BIPD activities.
Al Sharif mentioned that other countries, such as France and
the UK, had approached UNDP with offers to provide
programming for the parliament. Al Sharif suggested that NDI
and UNDP share work plans and maintain close collaboration so

MANAMA 00000450 002 OF 002


that programming was not duplicated and would be
complementary. Bates described a successful model he had
seen in Kosovo in which a committee of content providers met
regularly with an Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE) official, who coordinated parliamentary
programs conducted by various partners.

--------------
Work with Youth
--------------


5. (C) In their meeting May 14 with Minister of Social
Development Dr. Fatima Al Balushi, Bates and Miles outlined
NDI's plans to work with youth organizations through a series
of "dialogues" on various subjects related to civic
responsibility in a democracy. (Note: In addition to the
MEPI grant that will fund the parliamentary activities, NDI
has a second National Endowment for Democracy grant that it
will use for its programs with youth.) Al Balushi indicated
that the Ministry welcomed cooperation and would be happy "to
have its lawyers sit down with NDI officials to work out an
MOU." Following the meeting, Bates commented on the
bureaucratic hurdles, saying it might be preferable to
maintain the status quo in their activities with youth,
whereby NDI reimburses program costs as the organizations
conduct activities.

--------------
Comment
--------------


6. (C) This visit by NDI representatives may have resulted
in a reasonable framework in which NDI programming can return
to Bahrain. NDI's strategy to focus its efforts on
parliamentary institutions and its members through periodic
visits and programs, rather than establishing a permanent
presence and working with political societies, has seemingly
relieved some Bahraini officials and has received a positive
welcome. At the same time, it was striking that both heads
of parliamentary chambers stressed the importance of working
in conjunction with BIPD. The outstanding question is
whether BIPD will be content to have NDI work "with" it, or
insist that it work "through" it. We are cautiously
optimistic that NDI, in initiating new programming with the
parliament will be able to work "with" BIPD in a way that
does not compromise its independence and its ability to work
directly with parliamentarians. In upcoming meetings with
senior leadership, the Ambassador will stress that NDI has
come up with a reasonable plan of action to resume operation
in Bahrain, and that the government should seize the
opportunity to support this plan, allow NDI to come back, and
remove a negative element that has been hanging over the
otherwise very positive bilateral relationship.

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