VZCZCXRO8227
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK
DE RUEHKU #3830/01 2671356
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 241356Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6875
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 003830 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/IR AND NEA/ARP, NSC FOR RAMCHAND 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/24/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL IR KU KUWAIT IRAN RELATIONS
SUBJECT: FORMER GCC SECRETARY GENERAL: "NO COMMON GCC 
STRATEGY ON IRAN" 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 2883 
     ¶B. KUWAIT 2855 
     ¶C. KUWAIT 397 
 
Classified By: DCM Matt Tueller for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C/NF) Summary: Former Secretary General of the Gulf 
Cooperation Council Ambassador Abdullah Bishara told PolOff 
September 19 the GCC had "no common strategy on Iran," a 
problem he attributed largely to friction between Saudi 
Arabia and Qatar.  He believed an effective GCC strategy 
should support: 1) Iranian cooperation with the IAEA; 2) 
Iran's compliance with UNSCR 1696; 3) continued Iranian 
dialogue with the EU-3; and 4) the creation of a Gulf 
nuclear-weapons free zone.  Bishara suggested the U.S. could 
support the formulation of more cohesive GCC policy by 
continuing to support European dialogue with Iran, presenting 
a "serious" Middle East peace plan, and supporting the IAEA. 
Bishara expressed some concern about the impact of regional 
developments on Shi'a-Sunni relations in Kuwait, but said 
that overall relations were "very good" and dismissed the 
possibility of wide-spread, sectarian-influenced domestic 
unrest in Kuwait.  Bishara said the primary threat to Kuwait 
from Iraq was continued instability.  He claimed the 
emergence of a largely autonomous Shi'a region in southern 
Iraq would "not have a major impact on Kuwait."  Bishara 
believed the recent Israel-Hizballah conflict had 
de-legitimized Hizballah in the eyes of Gulf Arabs due to the 
damage inflicted on Lebanon as a result of Hizballah's 
"brinkmanship" and "adventurism."  End summary. 
 
Obstacles to and Suggestions for Common GCC Strategy 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶2.  (C/NF) During a September 19 meeting with PolOff, former 
GCC Secretary General Ambassador Abdullah Bishara lamented 
the fact that there was "no common GCC strategy on Iran," a 
problem he blamed primarily on tensions between Qatar and 
Saudi Arabia.  The Qataris see Saudi Arabia as a greater 
threat than Iran and routinely provoke the Saudi government 
by hosting dissident Saudis on Qatar-based Al-Jazeera 
television programs, he explained.  The Saudis respond more 
subtly through their media outlets and by applying economic 
pressure on Qatar, Bishara said, citing a recent "Saudi 
financial paper" that was unfavorable to Qatar.  Other Gulf 
countries are concerned by these tensions, which undermine 
the cohesiveness of the GCC.  Bishara, who is one of Kuwait's 
five GCC Advisory Committee members, said he was "surprised" 
by Qatar's vote against UNSCR 1696.  Qatar should have voted 
for the resolution, but qualified its position in the 
adjoining notes, he argued. 
 
¶3.  (C/NF) Explaining other GCC countries' position on Iran, 
Bishara said Oman supports "dialogue" and "neutrality," and 
does not see Iran as a major threat.  The United Arab 
Emirates (UAE) has its own specific bilateral issues with 
Iran, most notably the long-running islands dispute, which 
complicate cooperation with the GCC on a common Iran 
strategy, he noted.  Bishara claimed Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, 
and to a lesser extent Bahrain have a "well-defined, coherent 
approach towards Iran," but stressed that "this is not 
enough.  We need a unified, common GCC policy."  Bishara 
believed this policy should mirror the Saudi-Kuwait-Bahrain 
approach and: 1) Encourage Iran to cooperate fully with the 
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); 2) Urge Iran to 
comply with UNSCR 1696; 3) Encourage continued Iranian 
dialogue with the EU-3; and 4) Urge the creation of a Gulf 
nuclear-weapons free zone.  Bishara said the GCC "needs to 
state these positions clearly," but acknowledged that there 
was no agreement on these four points. 
 
¶4.  (C/NF) Bishara argued that some Arab countries' calls for 
a Middle East-wide nuclear-weapons free zone were a 
distraction and played into Iran's hands by reducing pressure 
on the GOI to halt its own nuclear program.  He noted, 
however, that Kuwait's FM Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabah had also 
recently called for a Middle East nuclear-weapons free zone 
in his speech at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) conference in 
Cuba, though he downplayed this as mere rhetoric. 
 
¶5.  (C/NF) The U.S. can help promote a common GCC strategy on 
Iran by "presenting a serious Middle East peace plan" and 
"continuing to work with the Europeans," Bishara argued.  He 
believed "the Europeans will ultimately admit that their 
approach (to Iran) is futile," but he said it was nonetheless 
important to present a united international front on Iran. 
He particularly stressed the need for the U.S. and EU-3 to 
agree on common policy, noting that French President Jacques 
Chirac's recent comments suggested divisions among the allies 
 
KUWAIT 00003830  002 OF 002 
 
 
on Iran.  Bishara also urged the U.S. to support the IAEA, 
whose reports he said provided valuable legitimacy for 
criticisms of Iran's nuclear program and were seen as more 
objective than U.S. allegations of Iranian nuclear intentions 
and capabilities.  Ultimately, solving the Israel-Palestinian 
issue and stabilizing Iraq will open a "corridor of 
stability" in the region, Bishara concluded. 
 
Kuwaiti Shi'a-Sunni Relations Good, But Irritants Exist 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶6.  (C/NF) Speaking about the recent pro-Hizballah rallies in 
Kuwait (refs A and B), Bishara said, "I have never in all my 
life seen such public displays of sectarianism in Kuwait." 
He added that he "worried" about the "intensity of activities 
in Kuwaiti husseiniyas (religiously-oriented Shi'a 
diwaniyas)" after the recent Israel-Hizballah conflict, but 
noted that there were "significant differences" among Kuwaiti 
Shi'a on this issue.  According to Bishara, Kuwaitis are 
"very concerned" about the impact of sectarian violence in 
Iraq, tensions with Iran, and the Israel-Hizballah conflict 
on sectarian relations in Kuwait.  Although he characterized 
overall Shi'a-Sunni relations in Kuwait as "very good," 
Bishara warned that these three issues, which Shi'a and 
Sunnis tend to view differently, were an "irritant" to 
relations between the two communities.  He noted, though, 
that on some issues such as U.S. policies, Hizballah and 
Hamas, and Iran's nuclear program, hard-line Sunni Islamists 
and pro-Iran Shi'a shared some common positions. 
 
¶7.  (C/NF) Bishara dismissed rumors of Iranian-backed Shi'a 
sleeper cells in Kuwait, arguing that "there are 
'sympathizers,' but no 'cells' or 'proxies.'"  He claimed 
that although there was a "small, but vocal minority" of 
Shi'a in Kuwait who "sympathized" with Iran and supported its 
policies in articles and speeches, the majority of Kuwaiti 
Shi'a did not/not support Iran or Hizballah. 
 
Threat from Iraq: Instability, not Federalism 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (C/NF) Bishara said the primary threat from Iraq was 
continued instability, not the emergence of a largely, 
autonomous Shi'a region in southern Iraq.  "Federalism in 
Iraq will not have a major impact on Kuwait," he claimed.  If 
sectarian violence continues or increases, Bishara warned, 
Shi'a-Sunni relations in Kuwait could be negatively affected. 
 He was particularly concerned about sectarian death squads, 
though he did not explain how he thought these groups would 
impact Shi'a-Sunni relations in Kuwait.  Bishara reported 
that the Saudis had "good relations" with Sunni tribal 
shaykhs in Iraq and tried to play a mediating role between 
them and other groups.  Bishara claimed "most Sunni leaders 
in Iraq," whom he described as "not credible," were "worried 
about their future." 
 
Concerns about Regional Developments 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶9.  (C/NF) According to Bishara, Egypt, Jordan, and the GCC 
are fighting against "Iran, Hizballah, Sunni extremists, 
Shi'a sympathizers, Hamas, and Syria" to implement a 
"moderate, peaceful vision for the Middle East."  Although 
Bishara said he believed "we (the moderates) are winning," he 
admitted that "we fear Iran's designs on the region" and its 
nuclear ambitions.  "Iran has the ability to wreak havoc in 
Iraq and to destabilize the Gulf," Bishara warned. 
Reiterating a previous point, Bishara stressed that "we can 
resist Iran through a strong Egypt-Jordan-GCC alliance and by 
finding a just solution to the Israel Palestinian issue, 
because this is being used by Hizballah, Iran, and other 
extremists (to justify their actions)."  On Lebanon, Bishara 
was somewhat more optimistic, saying he believed the recent 
Israel-Hizballah conflict had "de-legitimized" Hizballah in 
the eyes of Gulf Arabs due to the damage inflicted on Lebanon 
as a result of Hizballah's "adventurism" and "brinkmanship." 
 
 
********************************************* * 
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/ 
********************************************* * 
LeBaron