Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa: Iran needs to change its foreign policy behavior
Ismaeel Naar/Al Arabiya English Thursday, 31 March 2016
In a wide-ranging interview with Al Arabiya News Channel and Al Arabiya English, Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa spoke of Iran’s initiative to dialogue with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) but cautioned that Iran had to change its foreign policy behavior with the region before any meaningful talks can take place.
Despite documented evidences of Iranian interference with the Gulf, especially Bahrain, the foreign minister said “Iran will remain its neighbor despite shifting developments”. During the interview in Bahrain’s capital Manama, he also spoke on Bahrain’s recent decision to deport several Lebanese citizens for ties to Hezbollah, the group recently labelled as a “terrorist organization” by the GCC and Arab League.
He also spoke on what to expect when United States President Barack Obama visits Riyadh next month as a GCC during their annual summit despite controversial comments made about the US’ longest-serving ally Saudi Arabia.
Al Arabiya: What are your reactions to the recently published Obama Doctrine statements in which there were signs Obama was “irritated that foreign-policy orthodoxy compelled him to treat Saudi Arabia (and Gulf) as an ally?
Bahrain’s relationship with the United States is a historical one which goes back more than a century that eventually tied both countries economically and culturally. Regarding the statements that were published in a series of interviews with the Atlantic magazine, we are being very cautious regarding the accuracies of the statements. What was said were probably made from a personal point of view.
We don’t see the case as being a shift in policy toward our region.
Al Arabiya: Obama said he believes the GCC and Iran need to “learn to share the neighborhood.” Do you think Iran and its Gulf neighbors can coexist peacefully?
Yes, we’re ready to live with Iran as neighbors as we’ve been doing for ages. Iran is our neighbor even when there are shifting developments in countries in the region… Iran will still remain a neighbor. But without a doubt there have been problems, one longstanding example is the occupation of the Emirati Islands by Iran.
There were moments, however, of good working relationships and we had hoped that they would develop but unfortunately they didn’t materialize.
Al Arabiya English journalist Ismaeel Naar interviews Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. (Al Arabiya)
Al Arabiya: What essential step does Iran need to take to reopen the door for dialogue between your countries?
The first priority Iran needs to take is to widely change its foreign policy towards our region. We have seen Iran capable of shifting its foreign policy with the world and an example of this is when it used to call the US the “great Satan” and it used to have a global network of spies and cells. But now its agreement with the P5+1 has led to a change in their behavior but the only remaining file it needs to change is with the Arab region and it hasn’t yet.
If Iran does not take crucial steps in fixing its behavior, such as working through proxies in the region like Hezbollah and exporting arms to certain countries, then no progress can be made.
Al Arabiya: There have been recent suggestions that Iran took an initiative through Kuwait to open talks with the Gulf countries. We haven’t heard any new updates or comments from your side.
Yes, it’s true that there was an initiative from one of Iran’s officials who sent a letter to Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah who then forwarded the letter to the GCC leadership with the hope of bringing together officials from both sides. There was efforts from the Kuwaiti Emir to move that initiative forward, which we don’t refuse and none of us do.
However, the day after the invitation was received we heard statements from the Iran’s Supreme Leader against our Kingdom. During the same day, another Iranian senior figure stated that Bahrain had to “be returned to Iran.” Obviously these statements are prevocational in nature. So which side do we listen to?
The door for dialogue with Iran has always been open in the past but recently we had no choice but to cut off diplomatic ties.
Al Arabiya: Why did Bahrain label Hezbollah as a terrorist organization? What was the point in doing so?
We wanted to send a message to Iran and all its followers in the region that we are serious in confronting challenges. That message also includes that we will not hesitate in defending our countries and interests in the region and this issue is vital.
Al Arabiya: Bahrain recently deported several Lebanese citizens from the country for sympathizing and supporting Hezbollah. Should other Lebanese citizens fear that their turn is next?
The Lebanese are not new to our country. Bahrain and Lebanese ties are historical in nature that goes back ages. Lebanon, at one point in history, was the cultural center of the Arab region. But now, that open-minded society and culture is being hijacked by some relations in the country to Iran.
Those who were deported had documented evidence of their relationship with Hezbollah while living in Bahrain. But what we have to be clear about is that we’re talking about several people here and not the majority.
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Al Arabiya: Some analysts have said that the GCC has been waging a media and political campaign against Iran and that there are fears it might turn into logistical and militarily after the North Thunder exercises. Are the Gulf sending another message to Iran through that campaign?
The North Thunder exercises is a message to anyone who still thinks that they are capable of hurting the region, and they include Iran as most of our problems come from them. But if you are talking about media campaigns, compare their campaigns against us with how we converse with Iran. We haven’t talked about any of their internal affairs in recent history but they are – on a daily basis – spreading lies and rumors about us.
Al Arabiya: Bahrain recently agreed with the United Kingdom to build a naval base on the island. Is it true that there is an agreement that Britain will aid in defending Bahrain should any foreign aggressive actions take place?
First of all, let me be clear that these are facilities that Bahrain are providing to our allies and are not military bases that are understood generally under international terms. These partnerships with our allies go back ages and its primary goal is to provide maritime stability in the waters surrounding our region. These partnerships also involve counter-terrorism policies.
Al Arabiya: There have been suggestions that the Gulf view the Iranian threat is a greater threat to the Arabs compared to the Israeli threat. Is this your view of the situation?
We have our differences with Israel and Iran. Our differences with Israel is well documented where we are against its occupation of Palestine. We have religious and spiritual relationship with the sacred al-Quds mosque and we have had dialogue about the parameters surrounding the compound.
But our differences with Iran has become a daily occurrence. We wake up every day with a new issue – be it with them supporting terrorism or asking for changes in regimes in the region.
With Israel, we’re constantly trying to find solutions to the problem but with Iran, it’s not the same.
Al Arabiya: So is the Iranian threat great than Israel?
Right now, at this moment in time and history, yes, the Iranian threat is the greatest one based on face value.
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Al Arabiya: Onto the question of the United States elections. Some analysts say the current US foreign policy places the Gulf in an “impossible situation” with the Americans; Should Clinton win, the question begs whether her policies will match those with Obama and his doctrine comments. And should a Republican candidate win, while many promising to “shred the Iran nuclear deal on their first day of office” be better for the Gulf given their widely anti-Muslim rhetoric these days?
Bahrain’s assessment is that it would like to see America go through this process of election year and we will have a new president that we will look forward to working with, whoever the American people choose.
But if you will ask me not as a diplomat but as a person who lived in America, worked in American campaigns – I worked for Mr. Jimmy Carter in 1980 – I’ve never seen what I’m seeing today. What we’re seeing in American presidential campaign today on TV is unprecedented. So let’s wait and see until November to see the outcome.
Al Arabiya: Finally, you are one of a few Arab diplomats who are active on Twitter, amassing more than 250,000 followers in the process. Is this a new form of “high-tech diplomacy”?
In started in 2009, I was talking to the Minister of External Affairs in India Mr. Shashi Tharoor, who was very well known on Twitter then, and he told me about Twitter and I said that it sounded interesting. Twitter today was different than Twitter in 2009. There were only 1,500 Tweeters in Bahrain back then and now there are how many thousands.
It’s not really about high-tech diplomacy but more about moving along when the world develops in its technologies and its tools in getting the world to the people. So in order for us not to be distant from the masses of the people and to get the message clear to them, you’ll have to use the tools that they use.
This is why we’ve been active on Twitter. This is why politicians are reaching out otherwise no one would be listening.