VZCZCXRO3378
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
DE RUEHKU #1457/01 2741440
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 011440Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0032
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 1019
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0315
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUENAAA/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 001457 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2017 
TAGS: IR IZ KU MARR PGOV PM PREL
SUBJECT: US CENTCOM COMMANDER FALLON MEETS WITH AMIR AND 
SENIOR GOK OFFICIALS 
 
REF: KUWAIT 500 
 
Classified By: CDA Misenheimer for reasons 1.4 b, d and h 
 
¶1. (S) Summary.  On September 24, U.S. Central Command 
(CENTCOM) Commander, Admiral William J. Fallon discussed the 
issues of Iraq, Iran, and Kuwaiti Guantanamo detainees with 
the Amir of Kuwait, the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister, 
Defense Minister and Armed Forces Chief of Staff.  The 
Government of Kuwait (GOK) message on Iraq was one of support 
for U.S. and Iraqi efforts to continue working with tribal 
leaders to assume political leadership in Iraq.  The GOK 
reiterated GCC policy that Iran has a right to pursue 
non-military use of nuclear energy, but the region must 
remain free of WMDs.  The Amir spoke of his concern regarding 
the four remaining Kuwaiti detainees in Guantanamo and 
expressed Kuwaiti determination to continue pursuing their 
release.  End summary. 
 
Meeting with Kuwaiti leadership 
------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) On September 24, U.S. CENTCOM Commander Admiral 
Fallon, accompanied by Charg d'Affaires, ARCENT Commander 
and Office of Military Cooperation-Kuwait (OMC-K) Chief, met 
in separate meetings with Kuwaiti Amir Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmad 
Al-Jaber Al Sabah, Prime Minister Shaykh Nasser Mohammed 
Al-Ahmed Al Sabah, and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant 
General Fahad Al-Amir.  Crown Prince Shaykh Nawaf Al-Ahmad 
Al-Jaber Al Sabah and Defense Minister Shaykh Jaber Mubarak 
Al-Hamad Al Sabah attended the meetings, but provided no 
comment. 
 
Iraq:  It's up to the Iraqis 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3. (S) The Amir told Admiral Fallon that the situation in the 
Gulf region is "abnormal" and welcomed the chance to consult 
with USG and regional leaders to discuss issues of concern. 
He said that Iraqis must come to realize that the country 
that they are destroying is their own and the people that 
they are killing are themselves.  The Amir praised the recent 
success of USG efforts to reach out to tribal leaders and 
mentioned that real reconciliation lies in the hands of these 
leaders.  He added that he spoke to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri 
Al-Maliki recently and advised him to reach out to Sunnis, 
noting that Iraqis should embrace the notion of a new Iraq, 
not sectarianism. 
 
¶4. (S) The Amir told the Admiral that he supports the USG 
effort in Iraq, but advised that U.S. forces be stationed 
outside of Iraqi cities.  This, he clarified, would enable 
the Coalition to respond militarily as needed to crises and 
to continue the training of Iraqi forces, while allowing the 
Iraqis to govern themselves. 
 
Saddam,s legacy 
---------------- 
 
¶5. (S) Like the Amir, the PM called for the end to the 
sectarianism in Iraq, and said that unity is vital for Iraq. 
He added that no one can solve the problems in Iraq but the 
Iraqis.  He blamed the woes of the country on Saddam, who, in 
his opinion, made the Iraqis dependent on his handouts. 
 
Tribalism in Iraq 
----------------- 
 
¶6. (S) The PM commented positively on the growing leadership 
assumed by tribal leaders in Iraq.  He said the tribal 
leaders are "good, generous and wise people," and have played 
significant roles in Iraq's history.  According to the PM, 
much of Saddam,s early success in attaining power can be 
attributed to his exploitation of tribal alliances.  He added 
that Saddam essentially bought tribal loyalty to aid him in 
his rise to power and then later turned viciously on the 
leaders.  He advised Admiral Fallon to continue to gain the 
confidence of the tribes and work with them to shape the 
leadership in Iraq.  He added that among Kuwait's greatest 
fears is the answer to the question of who will replace the 
British in the south.  He predicted that the Iraqi forces 
will be too weak or divided and that the vacuum will lead to 
power grabbing by the four to five militias already active in 
the region.  And this, he added, will likely result in a 
 
KUWAIT 00001457  002 OF 002 
 
 
major spillover into Kuwait in terms of refugees or the 
export of violence. 
 
GITMO Detainees 
--------------- 
 
¶7. (S) The Amir was cordial during the meeting, but became 
more forceful when he tabled the topic of the four remaining 
Kuwaiti Guantanamo detainees.  He recalled that he had 
written two letters assuring the USG that the GOK would take 
all necessary precautions to ensure that, upon their release, 
the detainees would be monitored and kept under comprehensive 
surveillance.  He said Kuwaitis are wondering about the fate 
of these men and questioning why they are still being 
detained while nationals from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and other 
regional neighbors have been released.  He added that "It is 
our responsibility to deal with Kuwaitis," and that the GOK 
would not allow these individuals to harm U.S. interests.  He 
promised to continue to push for their release.  The Admiral 
responded that this issue was sensitive and complicated, and 
would continue to be worked from Washington.  The Charg 
added that the USG has specific concerns about the contacts 
and movements of previously transferred Kuwaiti detainees, 
and that such concerns would have to be addressed 
conclusively before the remaining four could be transferred. 
 
GCC to be nuclear free 
---------------------- 
 
¶8.  (S) The Amir told the Admiral that Kuwait has an 
excellent relationship with Iran and reiterated the GCC 
policy that all countries have the right to pursue nuclear 
energy for peaceful purposes.  He confirmed that the GOK was 
also in accordance with GCC policy that the region should be 
WMD-free.  The PM said that Afghanistan's President Karzai 
told him that Ahmadi-Nejad seemed to relish his course of 
isolation vice cooperation.  He added that the GOK wants to 
maintain a dialogue with Iran.  Both the Amir and PM set up 
North Korea as a model of diplomatic success in terms of 
achieving the abandonment of WMD ambitions.  The Admiral 
stressed the significance of pressure applied by North 
Korea's neighbors, urging that the GCC states adopt a similar 
policy toward Iran. 
 
Kuwait would suffer collateral damage 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (S) The Amir called for diplomacy to take its course and 
stated that Kuwait does not support a war with Iran unless it 
is unavoidable.  The Amir expressed his concern that one of 
the primary military targets, in the event of military 
escalation, would be the Bushehr nuclear reactor facility. 
He stressed that this facility is less than 200 kilometers 
from the Kuwaiti border, and any fallout from damage to this 
facility would result in an environmental disaster in the 
fresh water supply to Kuwait and throughout the Gulf. 
 
Iranian use of F5E jets 
----------------------- 
 
¶10. (S) The PM asked Admiral Fallon's view of Iran's 
announcement that it had developed a "new" fighter 
aircraft--one clearly similar to the old F5E.  Noting that 
the F5E is a 60s vintage craft and that Iran has endured 
years of military equipment embargoes, he wondered how and 
where Iran was getting the parts to service and maintain the 
craft.  The PM also showed a great deal of interest in 
Admiral Fallon's descriptions of the Iranian-designed IEDs 
being used to target American soldiers in Iraq, and echoed 
U.S. concerns over Iranian infiltration in Iraq. 
 
¶11. (U) Admiral Fallon has reviewed this cable. 
 
********************************************* * 
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/ 
********************************************* * 
MISENHEIMER