VZCZCXRO4145
OO RUEHDE
DE RUEHKU #2776/01 1911354
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 101354Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5699
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 1657

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 002776 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARP AND NEA/I 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID KU IZ KUWAIT IRAQ RELATIONS
SUBJECT: IRAQI PM MALIKI LEADS MINISTERIAL DELEGATION ON 
WHIRLWIND VISIT TO KUWAIT 
 
REF: BAGDHAD 2401 
 
Classified By: CDA Matt Tueller for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (S/NF) MFA Under Secretary Khalid Jarallah told CDA on 
July 10 that the visit of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had 
been "very very positive" and that Maliki had made a good 
impression on GOK officials.  His reconciliation initiative 
briefing elicited promises of "full support" from the Amir. 
The Amir proposed that Kuwait and Iraq establish a joint 
committee chaired by Foreign Ministers to meet periodically 
and discuss bilateral issues.  Reportedly, Maliki agreed and 
said he would instruct FM Zebari to follow up with his GOK 
counterpart. 
 
¶2. (S/NF) The Amir raised Kuwaiti concerns over the status of 
Sunnis in Basra.  Maliki said he was aware of the attacks 
against Sunnis and blamed it on "certain parties" who had an 
interest in creating a difficult situation for his 
government.  He stated that steps were being taken to improve 
the situation. 
 
¶3. (S/NF) The Amir and PM Maliki also discussed at some 
length the "Iraq neighbors" framework and the meeting that 
was to take place shortly in Tehran.  (Note: The Kuwaiti 
Foreign Minister attended the Tehran meeting after Maliki's 
visit and is due to return to Kuwait the afternoon of July 
¶10.  End Note.)  According to Jarallah, the Amir and Maliki 
shared the view that the Iraqi neighbors meetings were 
unlikely to produce anything positive or of concrete value. 
The Amir suggested that Maliki look at developing a forum in 
which "three or four of Iraq's neighbors", those prepared to 
be practical and positive, could work closely with Baghdad to 
support the GOI in its efforts.  Jarallah said Maliki seemed 
to welcome the suggestion and promised to study it further. 
 
 
¶4. (S/NF) Contrary to report in reftel, Jarallah said that no 
timeframe for exchange of Ambassadors had been decided, but 
the GOK confirmed to the Iraqi delegation that retired Chief 
of Staff General Ali Mu'min would be Kuwait's Ambassador once 
conditions permitted the opening of an Embassy in Baghdad. 
Maliki informed the Amir that the GOI would be extending an 
invitation to the GOK to attend the Iraq Compact meeting in 
Baghdad later this month.  In response to CDA's query, 
Jarallah said he thought it was likely that Kuwait would send 
a representative. 
 
¶5.  (U)  Iraqi Charge in Kuwait Hamid Al-Sharifi told 
PolChief July 9 that Maliki's visit to Kuwait was cut short 
because of unspecified urgent business in Iraq, leaving 
insufficient time for substantive bilateral talks.  Maliki 
and delegation (Electricity Minister Karim Wahid al-Hassan, 
Defense Minister Qader Jassim al-Mufraji, Environment 
Minister Narmine Othman, Minister of State for Foreign 
Affairs Rafia al-Issawi, Communications Minister Muhammad 
Allawi, and Oil Minister Husayn Shahristani) arrived Tuesday 
July 4 and were expected to stay until the 6th before 
traveling to Jordan.  The delegation instead departed on July 
5 after a meeting with the Amir and a group meeting with 
Prime Minister Shaykh Nasser Mohammed Al-Sabah, First Deputy 
Prime Minister and Minister of Defense and Interior Shaykh 
Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of 
Foreign Affairs Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabah Al-Salem 
Al-Sabah, Energy Minister Shaykh Ahmed Fahd Al-Sabah, and 
Communications Minister Shaykh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad 
Al-Sabah. 
 
¶6.  (C/NF)  Al-Sharifi reported the two sides briefly 
addressed debt forgiveness, reconstruction loans which the 
Amir purportedly promised at 1.5% interest, and Iraq's gas 
shortage which the Kuwaiti Energy Minister blamed on 
temporary technical problems.  The two sides also agreed to 
form a joint committee at the expert level to look into 
compensation issues.  On diplomatic representation, 
Al-Sharifi, like Jarallah, said there was not much progress 
on the exchange of ambassadors.  Mu'min was Kuwait's 
ambassador-designate and Al-Sharifi added that a team had 
inspected the Kuwaiti chancery.  (MFA advised us that 
Bahraini diplomats had made a visit to the Kuwaiti chancery 
and filed a report.)  Al-Sharifi described the chancery as 
dilapidated and located outside of the Green Zone.  He 
remarked that he offered his personal property inside the 
Zone to Kuwait for construction of a new embassy.  According 
to Al-Sharifi, several Iraqi Islamist groups want their 
representatives assigned to Kuwait and Kuwaiti FM Shaykh Dr. 
Mohammed previously urged Zebari to send a "secular" 
ambassador to Kuwait. 
 
KUWAIT 00002776  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  PM Maliki also met with representatives of the 
Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a meeting Al-Sharifi 
said the Amir insisted occur.  KCCI Chairman Ali Al-Ghanim 
urged the GOI to resolve all outstanding economic issues with 
Kuwait in order to create the conditions necessary to attract 
Kuwaiti investment.  He further noted GOK interest in 
immediate investment in Kurdistan.  There was considerable 
press coverage of the Iraqi delegation's visit and Maliki had 
a round table discussion with editors of local Arabic- and 
English-language papers. 
 
¶8.  (C/NF)  Al-Sharifi cut the meeting short, explaining he 
was on his way to the airport to meet an unnamed 
representative of Muqtada al-Sadr who was arriving from 
Syria.  He said the envoy was traveling to Kuwait at the 
invitation of Al-Shahad newspaper publisher Shaykh Sabah 
Mohammed Al-Sabah and expected meetings to focus on 
investment and business opportunities. 
 
********************************************* * 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s 
 
Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
********************************************* * 
 
 
TUELLER