Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07MANAMA650
2007-07-12 13:13:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Manama
Cable title:  

BAHRAIN REACTS ANGRILY TO IRANIAN TERRITORIAL

Tags:  PREL BA IR REGION 
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OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
DE RUEHMK #0650/01 1931313
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 121313Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7012
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHBVAKS/COMUSNAVCENT PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000650 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/12/2017
TAGS: PREL BA IR REGION
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN REACTS ANGRILY TO IRANIAN TERRITORIAL
CLAIM ON BAHRAIN


Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe. Reasons: 1.4 (B)(D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000650

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/12/2017
TAGS: PREL BA IR REGION
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN REACTS ANGRILY TO IRANIAN TERRITORIAL
CLAIM ON BAHRAIN


Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe. Reasons: 1.4 (B)(D)


1. (C) Summary. A statement by a Khamenei associate
reasserting a claim that Bahrain is a province of Iran has
generated a spate of angry denunciations in Bahrain. The
statement said that Bahrain had been separated from Iran by
an illegal agreement between the Shah and the US/UK
governments. This is reportedly the first time since
independence that a senior Iranian has made such a
territorial claim on Bahrain. Amid public calls for a cutback
in relations, the Foreign Ministry called in the Iranian
charge d'affaires to protest, and Iran's FM is expected to
visit Bahrain July 13 to discuss the issue. Sunni and Shia
leaders alike have denounced the statement, and the press has
been full of angry front-page articles and editorials. The
statement hit a particularly senstive spot for Bahrain's
Sunnis, and highlights local jitteriness at a time of
heightened sectarian tensions in the region. At the same
time, the government probably does not mind having the
opportunity to drive home the point that its concerns about
Iran (and implicitly Shia) are grounded in reality. End
summary.


2. (U) A recent statement by the editor of the Iranian daily
Kayhan, Hussain Shariatmadari, alleging that Bahrain is the
14th province of Iran, has set off a firestorm in Bahrain.
The statement, which was reprinted in the Kuwaiti newspaper
Al-Qabas, hit the news here on July 10, generating a spate of
angry denunciations and front-page editorials. It also led
to the summoning of the Iranian Charge d'Affaires to the
Foreign Ministry for separate protests by Minister of Foreign
Affairs Shaikh Khalid and Minister of State Nazar Baharna (a
Shia).


3. (U) In his statement, Shariatmadari, who is reportedly an
advisor to Iranian supreme leader Khamenei, said that
"Bahrain is a special case among GCC countries in the Persian
Gulf because Bahrain is part of the Iranian territories and
had been separated from Iran in light of an illegal
settlement between the executed Shah an the governments of
the United States and Britain. And the main demand for the
Bahrain people is to return its province -- which was
separated from Iran -- to the motherland which is Islamic

Iran. It is self-evident that Iran and the people of this
separated province must not give up this ultimate right." He
also reaffirmed Iranian sovereignty over the three UAE
islands. Finally, addressing the ruling families of the Gulf
countries, he said: "Since they know that the earthquake
caused by the Islamic revolution model will lead to the
collapse of their illegitimate regimes ..., they become
enemies of Islamic Iran...."


4. (U) On July 11, FM Shaikh Khalid told the press that
Bahrain was waiting for an official response from the Iranian
government. Asked if Bahrain was considering withdrawing its
Ambassador from Iran, Shaikh Khalid stated that "at this time
Bahrain prefers a diplomatic solution rather than escalating
the issue." (Note: Ironically, Bahrain's new Ambassador to
Iran Rashid Al-Dossary presented his credentials in Tehran
July 10, at which time -- according to Iranian press reports
-- President Ahmadinejad emphasized the positive role that
friendly ties between the two countries could play.)
Meanwhile, Iran's CDA in Bahrain Redha Henroor (the former
Ambassador left several months ago and has not yet been
replaced) told the press that Iranian Foreign Minister
Muttaqi would stop over in Bahrain Friday to meet with FM
Shaikh Khalid and to discuss the issue.


5. (C) Privately, Bahraini officials have been harsh in their
condemnation of the Iranian statement. MFA MinState Baharna
called the statement "outrageous," and said the Iranian CDA
had little to say in response when called in. Minister of
Industry and Commerce Hassan Fakhro noted that this was the
first time since independence that a senior Iranian had made
such a statement about Bahrain. Minister of Defense Shaikh
Khalifa said that it simply reaffirmed what they know about
Iran, and its supporters in Bahrain.


6. (U) Sunni and Shia political leaders alike have reacted
strongly to the statement. Leading Shia political society
Al-Wafaq issued a statement stating that the article was "far
from the truth, unrealistic, and surprising to everybody.
Bahrain is historically Arab. This was emphasized in the
1971 referendum, through which the Bahraini people chose to
be an independent Arab Muslim state. Such statements do not
serve stability in the region and harm all the region's
countries." The head of the Council of Representatives
Foreign Affairs Committee Adel Moawada (a Salafi) said that
the statement could not be considered that of an individual
because Shariatmadari represented a big segment of society.

MANAMA 00000650 002 OF 002


He announced that his committee would meet July 12 with FM
Shaikh Khalid to discuss the issue. Head of Al-Mustaqbil
bloc Adel Al-Asoomi demanded that Bahrain expel the Iranian
Ambassador, pull out the Bahrain Ambassador from Tehran, and
have limited ties with Iran "as long as it has greed towards
Bahrain and the region." The Shura Council issued a
statement condemning Shariatmadari's "irresponsible
statement."


7. (SBU) Mansour Al-Jamry, the editor of Bahrain's one
Shia-oriented newspaper (Al-Wasat),came under considerable
local criticism when his newspaper did not cover the story on
the day it broke (the only daily that didn't). In his July
12 commentary, he tried to justify his decision, saying that
he thought Shariatmadari's the comments were "too ridiculous"
to merit coverage and that he preferred to focus on he
positive comments of Ahmadinejad during the presentation of
credentials of Bahrain's new Ambassador. The issue was
Al-Wasat's lead story on July 12


8. (SBU) Otherwise, editorial commentary was consistently
harsh. Al-Ayam demanded that Iran clarify its position,
finding it strange that it "has not issued a clarification
about these unacceptable statements." Al-Watan warned of
continued Iranian attempts to gain control over Bahrain.
Al-Waqt affirmed that Bahraini Shia and Sunni are not willing
to give up their land and their sovereignty. In an apparent
dig at Mansour Al-Jamry, columnist Sawsan Al-Shaer wondered
"how blood does not boil in the veins of any Bahraini about
these statements." Akhbar Al-Khaleej columnist (and Shura
Council member) Sameera Rajab predictably argued that
Shariatmadari's statement "proves Iran's historical plans and
greed in the region and Bahrain."


9. (C) Comment: This tempest will surely pass, but the
Shariatmadari has hit a particularly sensitive spot for Sunni
Bahrainis. It highlights a certain jitteriness in Bahrain
about Iran and its intentions in the context of heightened
sectarian tensions generated by the war in Iraq, Hizbolah
activity in Lebanon, and Ahmadinejad's aggressive presidency.
At the same time, while the concern and protestations are
genuine, the government probably does not mind having the
opportunity to drive home the point that its concerns about
Iran (and implicitly Shia) are grounded in reality.

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