/ Security Policy and Operations (Sec Pol Ops)
Ministry of Defence
Main Building
Whitehall
London SW1A 2HB
United Kingdom
Our Reference: 05-09-2013-110225-006 / Telephone [MOD]:
Facsimile [MOD]:
E-mail: / +44 (0)20 7218 9000
+44 (0)20 7218 9000

E-mail address: / 10 October 2013

Dear Mr Horne,

Thank you for your correspondence below, dated 4th September 2013, which has been treated as a request for information in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). You requested the following information:

On 11 October, 2012, the Secretary of State for Defence signed a UK/Bahrain Defence Co-operation Accord (DCA) with the Bahrain Foreign Minister.

Please could you provide:

1) A copy of the DCA

2) The dates and details of all meetings and contacts between British and Bahraini officials where the DCA was discussed and negotiated.

I can confirm that the MOD does hold information in scope of your request:

Over 13 -18 May 2012 the UK held joint military Staff Talks with senior Bahraini military representatives, during which the proposed Defence Co-Operation Accord was discussed. On 10 Oct 12, British and Bahraini officials met and discussed final arrangements for the Accord prior to its signing on 11 Oct 12 by the Secretary of State for Defence and Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa.

A document containing details and dates of contact between other British and Bahraini officials where the DCA was discussed is not held and would take significant effort to collate.

Further information regarding the content of discussions and negotiations concerning the Accord, as well as the details of the Accord itself, are being withheld from release as they fall within the scope of the following exemption under the Act:

o  Section 27 (1)(a) Information likely to prejudice relations between the UK and another state

Section 27 is a qualified exemption, and therefore requires a public interest test to be conducted to determine whether or not information should be released. In favour of disclosure is the additional transparency regarding the UK’s relationship with Bahrain which this information would provide. Weighed against this is the damage which release of the Accord, or details of discussions regarding its content, would cause on the UK’s relationship with Bahrain. It is not normal practice to publish the text of such agreements because many states regard their content as confidential. Whilst the existence and broad scope of the Accord have been discussed in public, we have an agreement with the Bahrainis not to share this material in the public domain. Therefore, I have concluded that the balance of the public interest lies in favour of maintaining the exemption.

If you are not satisfied with this response or you wish to complain about any aspect of the handling of your request, then you should contact me in the first instance. If informal resolution is not possible and you are still dissatisfied then you may apply for an independent internal review by contacting the Deputy Chief Information Officer, 2nd Floor, MOD Main Building, Whitehall, SW1A 2HB (e-mail ). Please note that any request for an internal review must be made within 40 working days of the date on which the attempt to reach informal resolution has come to an end.

If you remain dissatisfied following an internal review, you may take your complaint to the Information Commissioner under the provisions of Section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act. Please note that the Information Commissioner will not investigate your case until the MOD internal review process has been completed. Further details of the role and powers of the Information Commissioner can be found on the Commissioner's website, http://www.ico.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,

[original copy signed on DII(F)]

Security Policy and Operations

Ministry of Defence Main Building

Whitehall,

London