VZCZCXRO5783
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHMK #0667 1990946
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 180946Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7031
INFO RHBVAKS/COMUSNAVCENT  PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000667 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
EB, NEA/ARP 
USDOC FOR 4520/ITA/MAC/ONE/THOFFMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/12/2017 
TAGS: ECON ETRD ELAB PGOV BA BILAT ECTRD OFFICIALS
SUBJECT: CROWN PRINCE, AMCHAM DISCUSS ECONOMIC 
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CHALLENGES 
 
REF: MANAMA 219 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (C) In a June 11 meeting with the local AmCham board of 
directors, Crown Prince Shaikh Salman noted the range of 
commercial development taking place in Bahrain and applauded 
the Ambassador's assistance in implementing the FTA, which he 
hoped would benefit Bahraini businesses in the US.  He 
believed Bahrain had implemented plans to address its 
unemployment problem and acknowledged that developing 
expertise in pharmaceutical production could be a natural 
outgrowth of that plan.  The CP said the GOB currently needed 
to develop a workable mechanism for awarding land for 
commercial development.  He predicted that, with Bahrain's 
continuing development, Bahrain would face an energy shortage 
followed by a water shortage.  End Summary. 
 
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CP HIGHLIGHTS COMMERCIAL ADVANCES 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Crown Prince Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa July 
11 received the newly-elected board of the local American 
Chamber of Commerce.  The Ambassador and Econoff hold 
honorary seats on the board and were present at the meeting. 
(Note: The King has charged the CP with overseeing Bahrain's 
economic development.  Among his duties, the CP is the 
Chairman of the Economic Development Board.  End Note.)  The 
CP acknowledged the range of positive commercial developments 
taking place in Bahrain, from Microsoft's establishment of a 
regional headquarters in Bahrain to the development of a new 
information technology park.  He also asserted Bahrain's 
claim as the financial capital of the Middle East.  "With 400 
financial institutions operating here, we may not be the 
largest in size, but we are the largest in terms of numbers." 
 
¶3. (U) The CP thanked the Ambassador for his assistance in 
implementing the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and 
said he was eager to see the FTA yield increased trade 
opportunities for Bahraini businessmen operating in the US. 
On trade, the Ambassador noted that a delegation organized by 
the US-Bahrain Business Council had come to Bahrain at the 
end of May and anticipated a much larger return visit around 
November.  That delegation would include as many as 80 senior 
US business executives representing a range of business 
sectors.  The Ambassador noted that Bahrain has an 
opportunity to position itself as a regional leader in the 
production of pharmaceuticals.  Bahrain has made significant 
strides in the protection of intellectual property and boasts 
a well-educated workforce.  The CP agreed that this would fit 
strategically with Bahrain's goal of providing high skill 
jobs for Bahrainis. 
 
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CHALLENGES ON THE HORIZON 
------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) The CP said he believed Bahrain had already 
substantially addressed its unemployment problem (reftel). 
(Note: Ministry of Labor officials report that since the 2006 
implementation of the National Employment Plan, unemployment 
has dropped in Bahrain from 15% to just 3.8%, though 
unofficial observers place this number higher.  End Note.) 
However, he pointed out the GOB's current lack of a mechanism 
for efficiently and transparently awarding government land 
for commercial development as a drag on investment and 
growth.  Once that challenge was addressed, he said that 
Bahrain would face the problem of ensuring adequate energy 
supplies to support Bahrain's continuing development.  After 
that, he predicted Bahrain would confront a coming shortage 
of water. 
 
 
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Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ 
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MONROE