Viewing cable 09MANAMA442, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE VERSHBOW AND
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| Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09MANAMA442 | 2009-07-26 08:08 | 2010-11-28 18:06 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Manama |
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000442
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/26/2019
TAGS: PREL MOPS MARR AF IZ QA BA
SUBJECT: ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE VERSHBOW AND
AMBASSADOR ERELI MEET WITH KING HAMAD OF BAHRAIN
Classified By: Ambassador Adam Ereli for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In a July 22 meeting with Assistant Secretary
of Defense for International Security Affairs, Ambassador
Alexander Vershbow, and the U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain, Adam
Ereli, King Hamad of Bahrain was unwavering in his support
for United States policies in the Gulf, welcomed any new
requests the U.S. may need from Bahrain, voiced strong
support for U.S. actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and said he
was ready to play a positive role toward Israel. However, he
voiced strong "annoyance" at Qatari behavior, particularly
the recent visit of Qatar's Chief of Staff of its Armed
Forces to Iran, as well as Qatari rebuffs to Bahraini
requests for natural gas. END SUMMARY
¶2. (C) King Hamad warmly welcomed Ambassadors Vershbow and
Ereli and began the meeting by thanking the United States for
the staunch support we provide Bahrain. He reminded the
Ambassadors that Bahrain is a long-time U.S. ally, remains
firm in its support of U.S. efforts in the Gulf, and greatly
values our bilateral relationship that is of significant
importance to Bahrain's interests. He said Bahrain will do
anything to work together with the U.S. He was particularly
praiseworthy of the bilateral defense relationship,
commenting that the superb advice Bahrain's Defense Forces
(BDF) receive from the U.S. has resulted in the BDF being one
of the cleanest organizations in Bahrain's government. The
King also noted that the equipment received through the
Foreign Military Financing (FMF) process was of high quality
and operationally effective, and he was also proud of the
strong relations established with U.S. 5th Fleet.
¶3. (C) Ambassador Vershbow thanked His Majesty for hosting
the Military Consultative Committee that was currently
meeting in Manama and for his country's support to U.S.
interests. He noted that the U.S.-Bahraini relationship was
very strong and mutually beneficial and affirmed to the King
that the U.S. and Bahrain shared a similar vision in the
region despite its many challenges.
--------------------
Afghanistan and Iraq
--------------------
¶4. (C) Turning to Afghanistan and Iraq, King Hamad said the
upcoming deployment of Bahrain's Ministry of Interior (MoI)
security unit to provide fixed site security in Afghanistan
would provide great experience to MoI personnel and allows
Bahrain to show its flag and demonstrate support for the
Coalition. He stated that U.S. involvement in Afghanistan
provided a golden opportunity for the Afghan people to build
their country's security forces as well as their education,
medical, science and trade programs and ministries. The King
added that U.S. efforts should be touted more in the media.
He quoted President Eisenhower, saying the "U.S. is
soldiering for peace and not waging war" and he understood
that the U.S. was not seeking to rule over Afghanistan or
Iraq. He is convinced that the U.S. is in both places to
help the Afghan and Iraqi people and he was appreciative of
our armed forces personnel performing their duties in places
so far from home. King Hamad noted some instability in Iraq,
but thought overall, Iraq was on a positive slope. ASD
Vershbow thanked the King for his comments and said it was
important that the world hears his, as well as similar
explanations, of U.S. policies in Afghanistan and Iraq.
¶5. (C) Commenting on Bahrain's participation in coalition
maritime operations and efforts against terrorism and piracy,
King Hamad said he had recently told his Parliament that,
"Ships are sailing to defend the region and why don't we join
them? If we don't join, we will miss an opportunity." His
remarks acknowledged Bahrain's past and current participation
in Combined Task Force (CTF) 152 and its anticipated
participation in CTF 151.
---------------------------------
Annoyed and Concerned about Qatar
---------------------------------
¶6. (C) The King voiced concern about what is happening in the
region and stated that he would like to see a stronger Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) as a deterrent against future
threats and to provide more security in the region. King
Hamad flatly stated that Bahrain is not happy with Qatar. He
took particular exception to the recent visit to Iran by
Qatar's Chief of Staff, MG Hamad al Attiyah. He noted that
during the visit, the two sides released a statement agreeing
to joint training exercises, intelligence exchange and
MANAMA 00000442 002 OF 002
reciprocal visits of military staff and units. "This is
going too far," King Hamad fumed. It's one thing to have
trade and commercial exchanges, he noted, but to welcome
Iranian military units on the territory of a GCC member state
is "a strategic matter." He went on to say that Iran is the
number-one threat in the region; any country should be
cautious about exchanging military information with Iran, and
no GCC country should allow an Iranian military unit or
personnel to land on its shores. The King stated that he
would like to show Qatar some type of unhappiness for its
actions with Iran.
¶7. (C) The King said it is rumored that MG al-Attiyah may
retire as the Qatari CHOD and perhaps this influenced his
decision to visit Iran. (NOTE: In a separate meeting with
ASD Vershbow and State P/M Assistant Secretary Shapiro,
during their July 20-21 visit to Doha, MG al-Attiyah did
state that his visit to Iran was long planned but perhaps
ill-timed to coincide with recent post-election activities in
Tehran; since it was previously planned, he had not wanted to
cancel his visit. END NOTE.) King Hamad added that Qatar's
behavior "is an annoyance, but it was too early to be angry
at them." King Hamad went on saying he "would like our
brother in Saudi Arabia to send a note telling Qatar not to
play like this."
¶8. (C) ASD Vershbow affirmed U.S. displeasure with Iranian
behavior, particularly its nuclear program, and stated the
U.S. would not tolerate Iranian pursuit of nuclear weapons.
He told the King we were disappointed with the timing of the
Qatari CHOD's visit, but hoped the Qataris could persuade
Iran to engage with the U.S. to end its nuclear program,
rather than seeking a confrontation with the international
community.
-------------------------
Plug for the Crown Prince
-------------------------
¶9. (C) ASD Vershbow said he appreciated the Crown Prince's
recent op-ed published on the Middle East which he understood
bore the King's stamp. He said the Crown Prince's points
about Arab countries seizing the opportunity at hand and
setting aside past differences to move forward on the peace
process was right on mark. King Hamad responded that
Bahrain supported U.S.-led efforts to make peace and agreed
that the Arab world needed to contribute positively to this
effort. Returning to Qatar, King Hamad noted that Abdul Bari
al Atwan, the editor-in-chief of the pan-Arab daily "Al Quds
al Arabi," had written a widely-read article critical of the
Crown Prince's op-ed. Qatar is a major financial backer of
al Quds al Arabi, the King remarked, and he clearly saw the
hand of Doha behind Abdul Bari's attack. Continuing on this
theme, King Hamad said there were two major issues that made
him angry with regard to Qatar. The first was the Iran
issue; the second was gas. For years, Bahrain has been
asking to buy Qatari gas, but their response has always been
that Qatar exports were maxed out and it was not prepared to
enter into new supply contracts. These rejections
notwithstanding, the King asserted that he had recently
learned that Qatar has inked a new supply deal with Mexico
and will increase gas supplies to England. He was at a loss
to understand Qatari behavior.
---------
On Israel
---------
¶10. (C) Commenting on Bahraini initiatives with Israel, King
Hamad said Bahrain continues to do its best to make Bahrain's
position clear to Israel and the world, and expressed thanks
for President Obama's recent detailed letter. He was taking
his time in drafting a similarly detailed response, and would
share his response with Ambassador Ereli when it was ready.
King Hamad said he looks forward to cooperating more with the
U.S. on key regional issues and specifically referenced the
soon to be executed moves of P-3 aircraft to Isa Air Base and
DoD's location of its forward Near East South Asia (NESA)
Center to Manama. ASD Vershbow and AMB Ereli thanked the
King for his strong support for U.S. policies and encouraged
Bahrain to continue its constructive behavior and leadership
in the Gulf.
¶11. (U) ASD Vershbow has cleared this message.
ERELI
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