(U) Secretary Clinton's March 18, 2008

S E C R E T STATE 026756 NOFORN E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/18/2019 TAGS: OVIP CLINTON HILLARY IR BA PREL PTER PGOV SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton's March 18, 2008 Meeting with Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid Al-Khalifa ¶1. (U) Classified by NEA Acting Assistant Secretary Jeffrey Feltman. Reason: 1.4 (b)and(d) ¶2. (U) March 18, 2008; 15:30; Washington, DC. ¶3. (U) Participants: U.S. -------------- The Secretary Jeffrey Feltman, Acting Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Maria Sisk, NEA Desk Officer (notetaker) Bahrain -------------- Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid Al-Khalifa Ambassador Houda Nonoo Ambassador Saeed Al-Faihani Hassan Al-Zayani Hayfa Ali Matar ¶4. (S/NF) SUMMARY. Secretary Clinton met with Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid Al-Khalifa on March 18, ¶2008. Both the Foreign Minister and the Secretary praised the strong relationship between Bahrain and the United States. The Secretary and Foreign Minister discussed providing aid to Gaza in a manner that would strengthen the PA and shared thoughts on the way ahead in the Middle East Peace Process. The meeting also included a discussion of Iran, military cooperation, and regional politics, including Qatar and the GCC plus 3 plus P5 plus 1 mechanism. Additionally, the Foreign Minister raised the Qatar-Iran-Turkey oil pipeline and the Crown Prince's proposed visit. END SUMMARY. -------------- Israel/Palestine -------------- ¶5. (S/NF) The Secretary asked for Bahrain's views on providing aid to Gaza, stressing that assistance be provided in a manner that strengthens the PA. The FM replied that Bahrain did not support projects that were not supported by the PA. He emphasized that "not a penny" of assistance should go to Hamas. Bahrain supported the idea of aiding Gaza through international programs, such as the World Food Program. Before Palestinian reconciliation could move forward, Sheikh Khalid said that it would be necessary to assess the impact of the Israeli elections and the expected new Israeli government. ¶6. (S/NF) Secretary Clinton and Sheikh Khalid shared mutual concerns about forces (such as Iran) that tried to actively undermine the peace process. The Secretary stressed the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative (API) and conveyed U.S. interest in incorporating the principles of the Peace Initiative into the peace process. ¶7. (S/NF) Sheikh Khalid underlined the importance of Arabs supporting the API. One way they could do this would be to engage the Israeli media. That would provide the opportunity for Arabs to sell the API to Israeli public. He also stated that the Arab-Israeli conflict was an Arab conflict that had to be solved by Arabs, and third parties like Iran, who wish to undermine the process, must be kept out. -------------- Regional Politics -------------- ¶8. (S/NF) Sheikh Khalid stated that the GCC plus 3 plus P5 plus 1 was a good mechanism of engagement because it demonstrated that Iran did not have the ability to determine what happened in the region. The Secretary concurred with the FM's endorsement of the GCC plus 3 plus P5 plus 1 mechanism and expressed interest in having a meeting in the near future. ¶9. (S/NF) Secretary Clinton asked for Bahrain's thoughts on Qatar's foreign policy decisions. The Foreign Minister explained that he was not sure why Qatar was making the decisions that it was, but that he thought it was important to tell the Qataris that what they are doing is wrong. One way to convey this message, the FM suggested, would be to scale back Al-Udeid without abandoning it completely. -------------- Iran -------------- ¶10. (S/NF) Turning to Iran, the Secretary stated that the U.S. wanted to stay engaged with the region. She explained that the U.S. wanted to change Iran's behavior, but also wanted to offer Iran opportunities to engage with the international community in a positive way. The Secretary said that it was important that the region start to act as a network of friends and allies. She pointed out that the international uproar over Iranian claims that Bahrain was the fourteenth province of Iran demonstrated that this was already starting to happen. ¶11. (S/NF) The FM was concerned that Iran would be more interested in doing something bilaterally with the U.S. and expressed relief at hearing that the U.S. wanted to engage Iran in the international realm. He mentioned that he intended to attend the upcoming Afghanistan conference in The Hague. -------------- Other -------------- ¶12. (S/NF) The Secretary thanked Bahrain for its continued military and security cooperation. She stated that the U.S. would be looking to expand this cooperation and military facilities in Bahrain. The FM responded that Bahrain hoped that its cooperation on security matters encouraged Bahrain's friends in the region to do the same. ¶13. (S/NF) Sheikh Khalid voiced concern about the proposed Qatar-Iran-Turkey oil pipeline. This pipeline would only strengthen Iran. The FM thought it would be wiser if the pipeline were redirected to run through GCC countries instead of Iran. He stated that Qatar should be convinced of this as well. CLINTON