VZCZCXRO2648
RR RUEHDE
DE RUEHKU #4173/01 2911000
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 181000Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7246
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004173 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
NOFORN 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/16/2016 
TAGS: PREL PBTS KU IZ KUWAIT IRAQ RELATIONS KTFN PTER
SUBJECT: KUWAIT-IRAQ BORDER VISIT: OCTOBER 2006 
 
REF: KUWAIT 3445 
 
Classified By: CDA Matt Tueller for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Summary:  On October 15, Econoffs and DHS officer 
visited Abdaly Border Crossing, Coalition Crossing, and 
Navistar on the Kuwait-Iraq border.  Despite a number of 
cross-border incidents in August and September 2006 (reftel), 
activity at the border appeared calm due in part to the 
decrease in traffic during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. 
The anticipated opening of the Al-Kabari or K-Crossing, which 
will replace Coalition Crossing, has been delayed until at 
least February 2007.  Further postponements are anticipated 
due to road construction delays on the Iraqi side of the 
border.  In the interim, Coalition Crossing and Navistar will 
continue to operate at full staff.  Army Support Group Kuwait 
(ASG-Kuwait) has also begun to issue a border crossing card 
that will be mandatory for all commercial drivers using 
Coalition Crossing effective November 1.  Kuwait Immigration 
will have access to the ASG-Kuwait data collected for this 
card when K-Crossing opens.  End summary. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
Abdaly Crossing:  Civilian Gateway to Iraq 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU)  On October 15, Emboffs visited Abdaly Border 
Crossing, a civilian traffic only facility located at marker 
number 91 on the Kuwait-Iraq border.  Embassy officials met 
with and were escorted by Kuwait Customs Authority's Abdaly 
Port Director Judei Mzyed who has served on the border for 
more than 20 years.  Mzyed stated that his top priority is 
narcotics detection, although he described drug seizures at 
Abdaly as fairly sporadic when compared to operations at 
Coalition Crossing (aka Navistar Southbound).  Abdaly 
inspects all vehicles using the VICAS mobile x-ray unit and 
conducts hand inspections of all baggage to deter would-be 
smugglers.  They also have radiation detectors. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  From Customs' inspection facilities, Mzyed escorted 
Embassy officials about a half mile to the border where a 
line of some 30-40 trucks were waiting to make their way into 
Iraq.  Iraqi Customs officials were clearly visible less than 
200 meters away, but Mzyed said there is no direct 
communication between the two sides.  Communication, if 
necessary, is forwarded from border officials up their 
respective chains of command.  Abdaly processes about 250-300 
trucks a day, Mzyed said, most of which return empty after 
dropping off their cargo just over the border in Iraq.  Many 
of the trucks waiting to make this crossing were overflowing 
with used and low-end furniture and carpets from Kuwaiti 
merchants, along with water and other beverages.  There were 
also numerous trucks transiting Kuwait carrying Saudi cement 
into Iraq.  Mzyed described the cement shipments as a common 
occurrence, which seemed ironic as Kuwaitis are not allowed 
to ship cement to Iraq because it is in short supply in 
Kuwait. 
 
¶4. (C/NF)  Comment:  There is reason to be concerned about 
the integrity of some Customs inspectors and members of upper 
management at Abdaly.  A regular courier known to Customs 
officials at Abdaly was recently stopped with over 1.2 
million USD hidden in the roof of his car.  The courier had 
declared 50,000 USD upon entry.  Despite the courier's 
obvious guilt, a number of Customs' officials, including the 
Area Port Director in-charge of both Abdaly and Salmi 
(Kuwait-Saudi border) crossings lobbied for his release.  The 
Director General of Customs intervened directly to ensure 
pursuit of the case.  End comment. 
 
--------------------------------- 
K-Crossing:  Opening Spring 2007? 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C/NF)  Emboffs then proceeded to Coalition Crossing (aka 
Navistar Northbound and Southbound) where they were received 
by U.S. Army and Navy Customs officials, including the 
Navistar Camp Commander.  The commander confirmed that the 
opening of K-Crossing has been pushed back to February 2007 
due primarily to delays in the construction of the 109km 
access road on the Iraqi side of the border.  To date, only 
9km have been completed.  On the Kuwait side, the commander 
noted that the northbound side of Al-Kabari or K-Crossing was 
complete, but inspection booths and asphalt are still being 
installed on the southbound side.  (Comment:  The U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers (USACE) attributes the delay to problems 
with the Iraqi contractor.  As a result, USACE anticipates a 
July 2007 opening.  End comment.)  Despite the delays, the 
commander believed that K-Crossing, once operational, would 
be a state-of-the-art facility for military convoys that 
 
KUWAIT 00004173  002 OF 002 
 
 
woulQllow for substantial improvement in cross-border flow. 
 
¶6. (QF) One known challenge will be a one-way flow of 
traffic into K-Crossing because of standard width two-lane 
access roads on both sides of the border and a narrow passage 
way at the border itself.  During a trial run on the Kuwait 
access road the mirrors of two Heavy Equipment Transporters 
(HETs) traveling in opposite directions actually touched. 
The commander was unaware of any plans to widen the road on 
either side of the border, although the Iraqi side is still 
under construction.  (Comment:  The U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers reports that CFLCC command considered widening the 
road, but decided after analysis to leave the road at 
standard width due to the temporary nature of the requirement 
for a non-standard road.  End comment.)  To compensate, 
convoys will operate on a 12-hour north, 12-hour south 
schedule which will be controlled by the U.S. Army.  In 
Kuwait, Camp Virginia will have a key role as a staging point 
for these convoys.  According to the commander, convoys will 
gather at Virginia, be registered, and will then move forward 
with a gun truck escort to K-Crossing.  At the border he 
anticipates that the total transit time for Coalition 
vehicles will be about an hour.  The commander added that 
there are currently no plans for life-sustaining facilities 
such as restaurants and housing because overnight stays at 
the border are to be discouraged. 
 
¶7. (C/NF)  Another question to resolve is whether Kuwait will 
allow civilian traffic from Iraq to enter through K-Crossing. 
 If a civilian is turned away from K-Crossing and directed 
instead to Abdaly Crossing, this could expose the traveler to 
a dangerous journey through southern Iraq.  Post will take up 
this and other issues with the GOK. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
K-Crossing Border Card Effective November 1 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU)  Effective November 1, per order of Army Support 
Group Kuwait (ASG-Kuwait), all commercial drivers using 
Coalition Crossing, and eventually K-Crossing, will be 
required to present an ASG-Kuwait issued border card.  This 
card is designed to facilitate the flow of traffic by 
pre-registering drivers in a central database to which Kuwait 
Immigration will have access when K-Crossing becomes 
operational in Spring 2007.  Each card has a barcode which 
will allow access to the holder's photo and biographic 
information. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Coalition Crossing:  Last in, Last out 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (C/NF)  Until K-Crossing is operational, Coalition 
Crossing will continue to handle Coalition traffic, military 
and contractor, crossing into and out of Iraq.  During this 
visit, Emboffs observed approximately two hundred trucks 
lined up and waiting for inspection.  The backlog was 
apparently caused by the Ramadan schedule of the Kuwaiti 
Customs inspectors and was described as atypical.  Emboffs 
also noticed about 30 battle-damaged tactical vehicles 
recently transported from Iraq.  The transit of these items 
into and through Kuwait continues to be a sensitive issue for 
the GOK.  In this particular case the Kuwait Environmental 
Protection Agency had not yet granted clearance for U.S. 
officials to move the vehicles away from the border area. 
 
********************************************* * 
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