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ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 251045Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4563
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 000710 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PI 
ABU DHABI FOR MEPI REGIONAL OFFICE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/18/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM KMPI ECON KPAO BA BILAT REFORM
POL 
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN REFORM STRATEGY:  FIRST QUARTER 2006 
PROGRESS UPDATE 
 
REF: 05 STATE 152818 
 
Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C) The reporting period was marked by tumult on the 
political scene as competing Shia groups jockeyed for the 
support of their community.  Leading Shia opposition society 
Al Wifaq remained preoccupied with organizing itself 
internally following its decision, along with several other 
opposition groups, to register with the government as a 
political society.  The hardline breakaway Haq Movement chose 
the path of confrontation and held a series of rallies, many 
of which led to clashes with security forces.  NDI's 
democracy promotion project was mostly inactive as the 
organization attempted to negotiate a memorandum of 
understanding with the Bahrain Institute for Political 
Development to regularize its status in the country. 
Negotiations to date have been unsuccessful and the NDI 
representative may be forced to depart the country.  A draft 
family law protecting the rights of women and children 
sparked controversy while a MEPI-supported March conference 
highlighted "Successes of Women as Leaders of Change."  A 
draft press law being debated in parliament attempts to 
grapple with the issues of censorship and appropriate 
penalties to be applied for violations by journalists.  MEPI 
supported a workshop to train journalists on covering 
elections.  The Bahraini parliament is in the final stages of 
addressing outstanding free trade agreement implementation 
requirements as activities to promote the agreement kick off. 
 End Summary. 
 
--------- 
Political 
--------- 
 
¶2.  (C) The political participation scene during the 
reporting period was characterized by sometimes violent 
demonstrations and defiance by Shia hardliners in the Haq 
Movement while main Shia opposition group Al Wifaq focused on 
organizing itself internally in preparation for a possible 
decision to participate in the late 2006 parliamentary 
elections.  (Al Wifaq has already announced it will 
participate in municipal council elections, also in 2006.) 
Many Haq Movement supporters are former Al Wifaq members who 
left following Al Wifaq's decision to register with the 
government under the 2005 political societies law.  (Several 
other opposition political societies also registered with the 
government.)  In the competition between the two groups for 
Shia support, Haq has chosen rejection and confrontation with 
the government while Al Wifaq has adopted a more low-key, 
policy-oriented approach.  Haq's support for, if not 
organization of, a rash of sometimes violent confrontations 
between masked youth and security forces in March and April 
appears to have backfired.  Shia residents of the areas where 
protesters used to launch attacks on police were often caught 
in the middle and were forced to endure tear gas, burning 
tires and dumpsters, and police barricades.  As residents' 
patience for the protesters' tactics declined, and Al Wifaq 
and Shia clerics made public statements against the violent 
tactics, the disturbances subsided. 
 
¶3.  (C) Al Wifaq still has not made a public decision to 
participate in the parliamentary elections, but it appears to 
be heading in that direction.  An Al Wifaq leadership council 
member told us that the society may still require a 
concession of some type from the King before it announces its 
participation.  There are no indications the King or 
government will do so, and yet Al Wifaq continues to signal 
that it will contest the elections.  The timing of the 
parliamentary elections has not yet been set, but observers 
believe September or November are the most likely options. 
 
¶4.  (C)  The National Democratic Institute's (NDI) democracy 
project has not been able to conduct programming during the 
reporting period.  The MFA sent a diplomatic note in early 
January saying that NDI could not conduct any programs while 
it negotiates an MOU with the Bahrain Institute for Political 
Development (BIPD) to regularize its status in Bahrain.  Thus 
far the negotiations have not been successful, despite senior 
official involvement in Bahrain and Washington, and the NDI 
representative may be forced to depart the country.  In the 
meantime, however, he continues to consult with political 
society leaders and draft analyses of issues in the run-up to 
 
MANAMA 00000710  002 OF 003 
 
 
elections. 
 
------------------- 
Women's Empowerment 
------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The issue of development of a family law continued 
to spark controversy.  Following a Supreme Council for 
Women-funded awareness campaign in favor of a law, and the 
hostile reaction by both Sunni and Shia religious scholars 
against it, the issue moved out of the streets and into 
quieter, calmer surroundings.  The government drafted a law 
composed of two sections - one consistent with Shia Jaafari 
law, the other drawn from Sunni Maliki law - and worked with 
parliamentarians, clerics, NGOs and other stakeholders to 
promote a Sharia-consistent family law.  The government 
passed the draft law to parliament, initiating a round of 
discussions between Shia clerics and MPs.  A recent press 
report stated that the government is considering withdrawing 
the draft law and waiting until after the elections for the 
parliament to address it. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Following on an earlier Freedom House conference, 
the GOB and USG partnered to host and organize the March 
26-28 conference to celebrate "Successes of Women as Leaders 
of Change."  More than 120 women leaders from 16 Arab 
countries shared their achievements in the legal, economic, 
and political fields, and developed strategies for action to 
build on these successes.  Press coverage of the event was 
extensive and positive, to include regional press and 
satellite television.  Additionally, Bahrain hosted the Arab 
Women's Legal Network Conference, which included women 
lawyers, judges, professors, and advisors from seven Arab 
countries. 
 
------------- 
Press Freedom 
------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The Bahraini government continues to view with 
suspicion weblogs and internet forums that allow citizens to 
express their views unfiltered.  While the Ministry of 
Information has demanded that all Bahrain-based websites 
register with the Ministry, it has not attempted to enforce 
this directive fully. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) A new press law is being debated in the lower house 
of parliament and has attracted a lot of attention and 
controversy.  The central points of contention are censorship 
and penalties for violations by journalists.  In a telling 
comment, King Hamad said in a February interview that he 
opposed censorship but noted, "The last thing I can think of 
is muzzling the press, whether there is a law or not.  The 
real power is self-censorship and doing what is good for the 
country." 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Through a MEPI small grant, the Bahrain Journalists 
Association hosted a training workshop covering elections. 
Trainers from the University of Missouri taught journalists 
techniques for creating balanced, professional coverage of 
the 2006 elections and helped participants formulate a 
"Reporters Code of Conduct" for elections.  The workshop, 
which was opened by Parliament Speaker Khalifa Dhahrani, also 
helped build capacity for Bahrain's only functioning 
professional journalism association.  At the urging of BJA 
Chairman Isa Al Shaiji, Dhahrani made a public statement 
against the imprisonment of journalists, which set the stage 
for the current debate in parliament over the draft press law. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) State-owned Bahrain Radio and Television 
Corporation (BRTC) appointed a new CEO who is spearheading 
changes within the organization.  The MEPI-funded CHUM 
assessment of BRTC provides a set of recommendations to 
restructure and reinvigorate its management and operations 
and to strengthen local news content and editorial 
independence. 
 
----------- 
Rule of Law 
----------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) The Ministry of Justice, with input from 
MEPI-funded contractor EDC, completed the draft of an 
anti-trafficking-in-persons law, the first of its kind in 
Bahrain and in the Gulf.  The law will fill a void in 
Bahrain's legal protections and will allow for the 
prosecution of traffickers.  Also on the legal front, the 
Ministry of Justice continued its process of improving the 
 
MANAMA 00000710  003 OF 003 
 
 
professionalism of Bahrain's judges, prosecutors, and lawyers 
and enhancing international linkages in the judicial field. 
The Ministry launched a program to improve the Bahrain Bar 
Association's ability to provide oversight and regulation of 
its members.  For the first time, the Ministry held a two-day 
strategic planning retreat.  It installed video and recording 
equipment in two courtrooms and rolled out an Alternate 
Dispute Resolution program for civil cases.  MEPI implementer 
the American Bar Association provided technical assistance 
for these activities. 
 
-------- 
Economic 
-------- 
 
¶12.  (SBU) The reporting period witnessed Bahraini action to 
implement and benefit from the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade 
Agreement (FTA), which was ratified by both countries' 
legislatures in 2005.  Bahrain formed an FTA Implementing 
Committee, a public-private partnership.  The GOB presented 
legislation to parliament to address shortcomings in the 
country's intellectual property regime, a requirement for 
implementation of the agreement.  It also moved quickly to 
present draft laws to parliament dealing with labor issues to 
bring its labor laws into conformance with the International 
Labor Organization's core labor standards. 
 
¶13.  (SBU) Commerce Secretary Gutierrez's February visit 
served to kick off promotion of the FTA.  He met with the 
Bahraini senior leadership, including the King and Prime 
Minister, and held a widely covered press event and an 
interview on Arab satellite business channel CNBC Arabiya. 
He delivered the keynote address at a one-day conference on 
free trade agreements in the Middle East, which was attended 
by some 400 American and regional business people.  In a 
survey of many attendees, most agreed that the conference 
enhanced their understanding of the FTA and allowed for 
useful networking between American and Arab business people. 
Booz Allen Hamilton held several workshops for Bahrain's 
business community on industry and services sectors that 
could benefit from the FTA. 
 
¶14.  (SBU) The Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence in 
Bahrain focused on securing additional (non-U.S.) G-8 
funding, identifying candidates for the Executive Director 
position, and launching its activities.  The UK government 
agreed to fund a mini-MBA program, which will graduate its 
first students shortly.  The Commercial Law Development 
Program worked closely with the Ministry of Justice, Economic 
Development Board, and Ministry of Industry and Commerce on a 
new companies law and additional commercial law reform. 
 
--------------- 
Civic Education 
--------------- 
 
¶15.  (SBU) The MEPI-funded Center for Civic Education (CCE) 
conducted a training of 60 Ministry of Education primary 
school teachers in the "Foundations of Democracy" program, 
which teaches children about civic responsibility and 
participation through story books.  Class sets of the books 
were distributed to nearly 100 primary school classrooms 
throughout the country.  CCE also conducted refresher 
training for 34 teachers in the "Project Citizen" program, 
which promotes volunteerism and youth empowerment with 
high-school age students, which expanded in the quarter from 
2 to 11 secondary schools (one-third of all secondary schools 
in Bahrain).  ACCESS/Microscholarships' English-language 
program launched in Ministry of Education schools for the 
first time, with 200 Bahraini students from poor or 
underserved communities participating.  Students developed 
English-language skills while receiving exposure to American 
culture through lesson content and cultural events such as 
Embassy visits featuring a meeting with the Ambassador. 
 
MONROE