VZCZCXRO0030
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
DE RUEHMK #1972/01 3321047
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 281047Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6072
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHBVAKS/COMUSNAVCENT  PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC PRIORITY
RUENAAA/SECNAV WASHDC PRIORITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001972 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2016 
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS BA REGION BILAT OFFICIALS
SUBJECT: KING, NAVY SECRETARY DISCUSS BILATERAL RELATIONS, 
IRAN, BAHRAINI ELECTIONS 
 
Classified By: CDA Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  (S) King Hamad told Secretary of the Navy Winter November 
26 that Bahrain's relationship with the U.S. Navy was 
fundamental to the stability and prosperity of the country 
and region.  The Navy has been an ambassador and liaison 
between the two countries and Bahrain has benefited from 
joint exercises and training.  The King praised President 
Bush's support, including elevating Bahrain to the status of 
Major Non-NATO Ally and promoting the free trade agreement. 
He warned that Iran is very active in the region and 
commented that it was not right for Iran to have a nuclear 
program controlled by only one man.  He said it is best to 
stop the nuclear program, by force if necessary, and stated 
in a joking (?) manner that it might be best for Israel to 
hit Iran, although he noted the potential realignments that 
could be triggered by such an event.  President 
Ahmadi-Nejad's plan is to get Iranians to look outward and 
ignore their internal problems.  The King said he is 
confident in Bahrain's internal situation and was proud that 
elections the previous day had gone well.  He called Bahraini 
citizens "our true defensive line."  End Summary. 
 
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Relationship with U.S. Navy "Our First One" 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa November 26 welcomed 
Secretary of the Navy Winter to Bahrain and praised the long 
 
SIPDIS 
history between Bahrain and the U.S. Navy.  He termed 
Bahrain's relationship with the Navy "our first one," noting 
that he was born at the same time that the Navy first 
established a presence in Bahrain.  The Navy, he said, has 
been "an ambassador and liaison to the United States" and it 
has done a great job to promote stability and prosperity in 
the country and region.  The King added that Bahrain had 
learned a lot from the Navy through joint exercises and 
training.  Bahrain's frigate Sabha, he noted proudly, had 
been used in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi 
Freedom and had been deployed to the Northern Gulf during 
OIF.  The Secretary responded that NAVCENT's presence in 
Bahrain represents a very important activity for the United 
States.  The two largest fleet concentration areas outside 
the U.S. are the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and the Seventh Fleet 
in Japan. 
 
¶3.  (C) The King stated that President Bush has been a 
wonderful friend to Bahrain.  He supported Bahrain's 
elevation to the status of Major Non-NATO Ally and promoted 
the U.S.-Bahrain free trade agreement (FTA).  Bahrain wants 
to remain the U.S. Navy's base in the region and will do 
whatever it can for the Navy.  He noted that the U.S. and 
Bahrain had stood together in the face of threats over the 
years, including containing the Soviet Union in the Gulf 
region (referring to the war in South Yemen), Nasser's 
pan-Arabist expansionism, and Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.  He 
added that the FTA would help promote further prosperity in 
Bahrain.  The Secretary stated that the more that the United 
States and coalition countries work together economically, 
the better off we will all be, and the FTA provides the 
mechanism to enhance the economic relationship. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Stop Iran's Nuke Program, With Force If Necessary 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶4.  (S) The King warned that Iran is very active in the 
region, particularly in Qatar and the UAE.  Iran thinks it is 
smart and powerful, but it is not.  The Iranian government 
represents only a minority of the people in Iran, which is 
composed of Baluchis, Azeris, Kurds, and Arabs in addition to 
Persians.  In Iran, only those that are part of the system 
can participate in politics.  This is not a true democracy. 
 
¶5.  (S) It is not right, the King said, for Iran to have a 
nuclear program controlled by "only one man."  An Iranian 
nuclear bomb would be a nightmare for the Gulf states.  He 
said he does not know if Israel can be patient while the 
Iranian government issues threats.  What is the best course 
of action, he asked.  Is it to accommodate Iran and allow it 
to have a nuclear program?  "I think it is best to stop the 
nuclear program, with force if necessary."  We in the region, 
he said in a joking (?) tone, have no problem if Iran is hit. 
 It would be better if Israel does it.  If they don't, Iran 
 
MANAMA 00001972  002 OF 002 
 
 
will hurt them, the King stated.  He also noted the potential 
realignments that could be triggered by such an event.  He 
then stated that, unlike North Korea, which is surrounded by 
influential powers (China, Republic of Korea, Japan), nuclear 
weapons in Iran would truly tip the balance of power in the 
Gulf region. 
 
¶6.  (S) The Secretary commented that there is a big problem 
of transparency with Iran's nuclear program.  No one can say 
what Iran plans to do with its program.  The King replied 
that the nuclear program is targeting the Gulf states and is 
an instrument of Iran's policy of dominating the region. 
Remember what Khomeini said about exporting the revolution, 
he warned.  (Iranian President) Ahmadi-Nejad is a young 
Khomeini.  His plan, the King said, is to get Iranians to 
look outward and ignore their internal problems. 
 
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Citizens "Our True Defensive Line" 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) The Secretary congratulated the King on the conduct 
of elections the previous day which, according to preliminary 
reports, appeared to have gone well.  The King said he is 
comfortable and confident with Bahrain's internal situation. 
"Yesterday," he said, "we saw Bahrainis queuing for 
elections, and there was not one single incident."  He stated 
that when he saw people out voting, he thought that "this is 
our true defensive line.  We showed the world that we do our 
business well and can manage ourselves well."  Just as 
Bahrain was influenced by the democracy the United States, 
Bahrain's democracy (though different from that in the U.S. 
and other countries), will likewise influence other countries 
in the region. 
 
¶8.  (U) Secretary Winter cleared this cable. 
 
 
********************************************* ******** 
Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ 
********************************************* ******** 
ZIADEH