Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 251287 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 07KUWAIT487, PARLIAMENT PASSES LAW ENFORCEMENT COOPERATION

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07KUWAIT487 2007-04-04 13:47 2011-08-30 01:44 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Kuwait
VZCZCXRO4502
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
DE RUEHKU #0487/01 0941347
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 041347Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8695
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 000487 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR NEA/IR AND NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL IR KU KUWAIT IRAN RELATIONS
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, ISLAMISTS 
SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT PASSES LAW ENFORCEMENT COOPERATION 
AGREEMENT WITH IRAN, DEFERS ARTICLE 98 AGREEMENT 
 
REF: KUWAIT 4435 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified; not for Internet distribution. 
 
1.  (SBU) Summary: On April 3, Parliament ratified 20 
international agreements, including a security cooperation 
agreement with Iran in the field of drug trafficking and law 
enforcement.  However, parliamentarians objected strongly to 
an Article 98 agreement with the U.S. and referred it to the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs for "clarification."  Islamist 
MPs used the opportunity to slam U.S. policies in general, 
particularly the continued detention of four Kuwaiti citizens 
at Guantanamo.  Independent, tribal Islamist MPs were 
particularly vitriolic in their criticism, calling the U.S. 
"the sole source of terror in the world" and urging their 
fellow parliamentarians to "reject bowing to American wishes 
since America is biased in favor of Zionism and America's 
decisions emanate from the Zionist lobby."  Although the 
parameters of the Kuwait-Iran security cooperation agreement 
were fairly limited, several local press reports portrayed 
the session as a victory for Iran and a blow to the U.S.  End 
summary. 
 
2.  (SBU) Parliament ratified 20 international agreements 
during its April 3 session, some of which had languished on 
the parliamentary agenda for years.  Among the agreements 
passed was a security cooperation agreement with Iran focused 
primarily on combating drug trafficking and increasing law 
enforcement cooperation.  According to local press, the 
agreement, signed between the Interior Ministers of Kuwait 
and Iran in 2000, is "aimed at boosting the two countries' 
efforts in fighting drugs and terrorism and calls for the 
extradition of criminals."  Post obtained a copy of the 
agreement, which outlined areas of cooperation, including 
preventing naval piracy, smuggling, organized crime, and drug 
trafficking.  Article 6 of the agreement gave either country 
the right to "abstain from executing any request by the other 
party if it believes that this request would infringe on its 
sovereignty or violate its national security or its laws." 
Parliament also passed legal and judicial cooperation 
agreements with Iran and several other countries. 
 
3.  (SBU) Parliament postponed voting on the Article 98 
agreement between the U.S. and Kuwait, which would prevent 
American citizens in Kuwait from being tried by the 
International Criminal Court (reftel).  The agreement was 
referred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 
"clarification."  During the debate on the issue, few 
parliamentarians seemed to understand the details of the 
agreement.  Instead, Islamist parliamentarians used the 
opportunity to slam U.S. policies in general.  Shi'a MP Adnan 
Abdul Samad, a member of the conservative, Iran-leaning Shi'a 
political association, the National Islamic Alliance (NIA), 
noted that the U.S. was not party to the Rome Statute, 
through which the ICC was created, and argued that the 
Article 98 agreement "only serves the U.S." and would cause 
Kuwait to violate its ICC obligations. 
 
4.   (SBU) Salafi MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei claimed some 
Kuwaitis in the U.S. were subject to "tough measures," while 
Americans in Kuwait were "treated like masters."  "We respect 
the role played by the United States in the liberation of 
Kuwait, but nobody should be above the law," he said. 
Al-Tabtabaei also noted that Kuwaiti citizens were still 
being detained at Guantanamo, where he claimed the were 
subjected to torture, citing several recent interviews by 
local press of former Kuwaiti Guantanamo detainees.  Even 
liberal MP Mohammed Jassem Al-Sager, the Chairman of the 
Foreign Affairs Committee, which previously approved the 
agreement, said his committee agreed that it should be 
"withdrawn until we have representatives from the Foreign 
Ministry explain to us the details of the agreement." 
 
5.  (SBU) Independent, tribal Islamist MPs were particularly 
vitriolic in their criticism.  MP Abdullah Akkash, from the 
Mutran tribe, accused the U.S. of being "the sole source of 
terror in the world" and trying to "weaken Muslim peoples and 
countries."  "The U.S. is exerting pressure on other 
countries to achieve its goals," he added.  "Kuwait should 
never bow to the wishes of America."  Another independent 
Islamist MP, Khaled Al-Adwa, from the Ajman tribe, similarly 
slammed the U.S.  "There should be a voice in Parliament that 
would say to America, particularly the ruling junta, 'No!' 
Our sons are detained in Guantanamo and the most horrible 
means of torture are used against them.  The world is sick of 
savage American hegemony.  America should respect the people 
of the Arabian Gulf....We should reject bowing to American 
wishes since America is biased in favor of Zionism and 
 
KUWAIT 00000487  002 OF 003 
 
 
America's decisions emanate from the Zionist lobby."  He 
finished his rant by predicting the Article 98 agreement 
would be rejected when it eventually came to a vote in 
Parliament. 
 
6.  (SBU) Some local press portrayed Parliament's actions as 
a victory for Iran and a blow to the U.S.  On April 4, the 
Kuwait Times (local English daily) ran a front-page article 
on the session under the headline "MPs court Iran, blast US 
double-standards: Assembly ratifies Iran security pact, 
rejects US ICC deal."  Articles in local Arabic press were 
not as prominent, but reported the session in a similar vein, 
such as one article under the headline "Ferocious Islamic 
onslaught obstructs the ratification of defendants' exchange 
agreement between Kuwait and the United States."  The Arab 
Times' (local English daily) coverage was less provocative, 
running an article on the second page under the headline "MPs 
see Iran as 'main source' of drugs, arms smuggled into 
Kuwait."  The front page was dominated by an article titled 
"US to attack Iran by end April" (septel). 
 
7.  (SBU) The 20 agreements ratified by Parliament were: 
 
Bilateral Agreements: 
 
-- Kuwait-Algeria: Agreement on avoiding double taxation and 
prohibiting income tax evasion. 
 
-- Kuwait-India: Agreement on avoiding double taxation and 
prohibiting income tax evasion. 
 
-- Kuwait-India: Agreement on judicial and legal cooperation 
related to extradition of criminals. 
 
-- Kuwait-India: Agreement on legal assistance on questions 
related to criminal prosecution. 
 
-- Kuwait-India: Agreement on legal and judicial cooperation 
on civil and commercial questions. 
 
-- Kuwait-Iran: Agreement on security cooperation in the 
field of drug trafficking and law enforcement. 
 
-- Kuwait-Iran: Agreement on legal and judicial cooperation 
in the areas of civil, commercial, criminal, and personal 
status articles. 
 
-- Kuwait-South Africa: Agreement on encouraging and 
protecting investments. 
 
-- Kuwait-South Korea: Agreement on encouraging and 
protecting investments. 
 
-- Kuwait-Spain: Agreement on encouraging and protecting 
investments. 
 
-- Kuwait-Uzbekistan: Agreement on combating crime. 
 
-- Kuwait-Zimbabwe: Bilateral agreement on avoiding double 
taxation and prohibiting income and capital tax evasion. 
 
International Agreements: 
 
-- Draft law approving Kuwait's acceptance of the 
International Telecommunications Union approved in Marrakech, 
Morocco in 2002. 
 
-- Draft law approving Kuwait's acceptance of the protocol on 
combating the manufacture and illegal trade of fire arms, 
fire arm components, and ammunition supplementing the UN 
Agreement on Combating Transnational Organized Crime. 
 
-- Draft law approving Kuwait's acceptance of the 
International Agreement on Prohibition of Pollution from 
ships for the year 1973. 
 
-- Draft law approving Kuwait's agreement to ban the use, 
production, storage, or transportation of anti-personnel 
mines. 
 
-- Draft law approving Kuwait's acceptance of the Beijing 
1999 amendment to the Montreal Protocol on materials 
depleting the ozone layer for the year 1987. 
 
-- Draft law approving documents on the 23rd Conference of 
the International Postal Union held in Bucharest, Romania in 
2004. 
 
 
KUWAIT 00000487  003 OF 003 
 
 
-- Draft law agreeing to a unified law for combating and 
preventing dumping among GCC countries. 
 
-- Draft law approving several resolutions issued by the Arab 
League Council. 
 
********************************************* * 
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