VZCZCXRO8491
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHMK #0824/01 1291452
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 091452Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4683
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHBVAKS/COMUSNAVCENT  PRIORITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 000824 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2016 
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS ASEC PTER BA IR IZ REGION
BILAT, OFFICIALS, CTR 
SUBJECT: CENTRAL COMMAND GENERAL ABIZAID'S MAY 8 MEETING 
WITH KING HAMAD 
 
Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (S) Centcom Commander General Abizaid met with King Hamad 
May 8 and discussed the May 6 GCC Consultative Meeting in 
Riyadh, the Iranian threat, placement of a regional 
counter-terrorism center in Bahrain, Iraq, and the upcoming 
parliamentary elections.  The King said the GCC Secretary 
General had read aloud President Bush's letter to the GCC 
leaders, the first time such a thing was done.  Saudi King 
Abdullah had requested that Omani Deputy PM Sayyid Fahd 
undertake a trip to Tehran to discuss Iran's nuclear program. 
 King Hamad said the GCC leaders had put aside their petty 
differences to work on the Iran issue with a unified front. 
He recommended that any military strike on Iran should target 
the regime and not just the nuclear program.  In the event 
that Iran obtains nuclear weapons, the U.S. should consider 
declaring the GCC to be "under its umbrella."  The King was 
pleased that Bahrain had been designated the home of a 
regional counter-terrorism center, and would look to the 
United States to help upgrade the sophistication of the local 
intelligence system.  The King hoped the next Iraqi 
government was strong enough to take on its security 
responsibilities.  In reference to the parliamentary 
elections later this year, the King said he would balance a 
more "militant" elected lower house by changing the 
composition of the appointed upper house.  End Summary. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
POTUS Letter Read Aloud at GCC Meeting 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) In their May 8 meeting, King Hamad bin Issa Al 
Khalifa told Central Command's General Abizaid that Saudi 
King Abdullah had instructed the GCC Secretary General to 
read aloud President Bush's letter to heads of state at the 
GCC Consultative Meeting in Riyadh on May 6, saying this was 
the first time such a thing was done.  The King said the 
letter was very clear, had everything in it, and reflected a 
great deal of experience in the region.  He said that King 
Abdullah had proposed sending a GCC delegation to Iran to 
demonstrate the countries' solidarity against Iran's nuclear 
activities.  The ostensible reason for the trip would be to 
address regional environmental concerns but in fact the 
envoy, Omani Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Fahd, would discuss 
the nuclear program.  (Note:  The King said Sayyid Fahd did 
not want to take on the mission but that King Abdullah had 
insisted.)  The GCC believes there should be no nuclear 
activities in the region and that the Gulf should be free of 
all WMD. 
 
¶3.  (C) Commenting on the mood at the meeting, the King said 
it was important that the GCC leaders had put aside their 
little differences to work on the Iran issue with a unified 
front.  King Abdullah had said there should be no sign of 
dispute in the meeting minutes.  He had urged the leaders to 
work together "because the threat is getting bigger."  King 
Abdullah had continued that the GCC's allies would provide 
assistance if the GCC showed solidarity. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Target Iranian Regime, Not Nukes 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) King Hamad said he had been asked what he would do if 
he had to deal with the Iranian challenge, and he had replied 
that he was glad he would not be the one to do it.  He 
advised General Abizaid that, if there were a military 
strike, the target should be the regime and not just the 
nuclear program.  Although there were some good people in the 
Iranian government, including Foreign Minister Motakki, who 
he noted he would meet later that day, he said the regime was 
bad.  He said that he would tell Motakki that, even if Iran 
had the right to develop a civilian nuclear program, it was 
not the smart thing to do if Iran wanted to be a part of the 
international community.  The Gulf is "a small lake" and the 
GCC does not want it to be destroyed or contaminated. 
 
¶5.  (C) The King stated that Iranian President Ahmadi-Nejad 
had called him and asked if the GCC could help Iran deal with 
the United States.  The King had responded that the GCC could 
do nothing while Iran occupied several islands in the Gulf. 
Ahmadi-Nejad had said he could give all guarantees that there 
 
MANAMA 00000824  002 OF 003 
 
 
would be no radiation leaks from the nuclear program and that 
the GCC could send its experts to inspect Iranian facilities. 
 Referring to news of Ahmadi-Nejad sending a letter to 
President Bush, the King told General Abizaid that Iran was 
just trying to gain time. 
 
----------------------------------- 
GCC Preparing for Possible Conflict 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) The King suggested that if Iran obtained nuclear 
weapons, the U.S. should consider declaring the GCC to be 
"under its umbrella."  General Abizaid replied that we would 
stand by our good allies and friends and the U.S. would not 
allow the Gulf to be dominated by Iranian mullahs.  The King 
said that the U.S. was a strong ally and the "greatest 
support" to Bahrain.  The GCC countries were now talking 
quietly about plans to assist each other in the event of a 
conflict in the region.  He said the GCC would do its part on 
Iran and that the U.S. and GCC should continue their close 
consultations.  General Abizaid advised that the U.S. and GCC 
member states could work together on a bilateral basis to 
improve the shared early warning system for air defense, 
using the PAC-3 and U.S. Navy platforms.  Such a system would 
add to the security and confidence of the region. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Bahrain Home to Regional CT Center 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (S) The King said that at the Consultative Meeting, King 
Abdullah had supported the idea of a regional 
counter-terrorism center and had made a surprise announcement 
that he wanted the center to be located in Bahrain.  King 
Hamad quickly accepted, and was pleased that the other 
leaders backed the proposal.  GCC Ministers of Interior will 
meet in two weeks to study the details of the center and make 
solid recommendations at the GCC Summit in December.  The 
King said the advantages of hosting the center outweighed the 
disadvantages.  Bahrain would look to the United States for 
support on the technical side to improve the sophistication 
of the local intelligence system.  Bahrain needs its GCC 
partners to assist in funding the construction of the center, 
which would need to be an extremely secure and well-protected 
facility.  King Abdullah had said that he wanted the center 
to be in Bahrain because "Bahrain is the most secure country 
in the Gulf." 
 
-------------------------------- 
Strong Leadership Needed in Iraq 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) Turning to Iraq, the King said that "from day one," 
he thought the post-Saddam government should be strong, even 
if it was a military government in civilian clothes.  A 
gradual transformation of the country is better than turning 
it upside down suddenly.  After Saddam was deposed, exiles 
"who speak well," like Chalabi and Jaafari, were given a 
chance, but they were not tough enough.  Iraqi forces now had 
to step up and take on the role of protecting security in the 
country.  Although the Iraqis had missed some opportunities, 
there was still time.  In response to General Abizaid's 
question, the King said that Jordan has close links with 
Iraqi Sunnis and should take the lead on working with that 
community. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
Shura Council to Balance "Militants" in Lower House 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶8.  (C) In an unusual detour, the King turned to domestic 
politics, saying that people were worried about "militant" 
MPs being elected to the lower house of parliament, the 
Council of Representatives (COR).  He said there was no 
reason to worry because the appointed upper house, the Shura 
Council, serves as a balance to the COR.  If the elected MPs 
"are Salafis or Hizballah," then he will make sure the upper 
house continues to serve as a check on them.  Although there 
are "demagogues" in the COR, the Shura members are more 
clever and give the government a harder time.  He warned, 
however, that if the "Hizballah" MPs supported Iran, there 
could be problems.  (Comment:  He presumably is referring to 
leading Shia opposition society Al Wifaq when using the term 
Hizballah.  While some members may support Lebanese 
Hizballah, Al Wifaq is not a terrorist, or even a violent, 
group.)  The King said he is doing what he can to build up 
public confidence in the political system, even, for the 
 
MANAMA 00000824  003 OF 003 
 
 
first time, revealing the budget of the Royal Court. 
 
MONROE