KING HAMAD AND AMIR OF QATAR AGREE ON GAS TALKS;

S E C R E T MANAMA 000882 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2017 TAGS: ENRG PGOV PINR PREL BA SUBJECT: KING HAMAD AND AMIR OF QATAR AGREE ON GAS TALKS; NEW INFORMATION ON KING HAMAD'S HEALTH REF: MANAMA 873 Classified By: AMBASSADOR ADAM ERELI FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) ABND (D) ¶1. (S) On instructions from King Hamad, Bahrain,s National Security Advisor Ahmed Khalifa al Khalifa summoned the Ambassador to provide an update on Bahrain,s efforts to strike a gas deal with Qatar. Ahmed Khalifa told us that the Amir of Qatar and Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim had flown to Manama on a private visit this past Saturday, September ¶15. In a dinner with Bahrain,s King and Crown Prince, they agreed to resume talks on a gas deal between Qatar and Bahrain and delegated their energy ministers to begin technical discussions. ¶2. (S) They agreed to form a joint corporation to finance and build a causeway between the two countries, which would also include the gas pipeline. Ahmed Khalifa didn,t have further details, but added that further to our earlier conversations (reftel),King Hamad wanted us to be aware of what he considered an important development. ¶3. (S) During a free-flowing discussion on other matters, the Ambassador asked Ahmed Khalifa why, if the King,s health was on the mend, it was necessary to postpone his scheduled meeting with President Bush on November 5. Ahmed replied that the King had indeed made a full recovery, but added he would have to return (presumably to England) for a follow-up exam, which made the trip to the U.S. impossible. When pressed, Ahmed said that the King had had a small &tumor8 removed from his neck. &Thank God it was nothing,8 he said of the test results and added that the King had received treatment to prevent a recurrence. ********************************************* ******** Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ ********************************************* ******** ERELI