VZCZCXRO0212
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHKU #1603 3111115
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 071115Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0258
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS KUWAIT 001603 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EINV ETRD KU IZ
SUBJECT: KUWAIT-HOSTED IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION EXPO AN 
UNDERWHELMING EVENT 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Under the patronage of Crown Prince Shaykh Nawaf 
Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah, the Kuwait International Fair 
hosted the second International Trade Exhibition for the 
Reconstruction of Iraq from 4-7 November.  In addition to a 
number of European and African ambassadors (but no Arab 
Chiefs of Mission from what we could tell), CDA and A/DCM 
attended the opening of the event along with Kuwaiti Minister 
of Commerce and Industry Falah Al-Hajeri and Iraqi Minister 
of Construction and Housing Bayan Dazee, who wandered the 
exhibition floor trailed by a crew of journalists, staffers, 
and assorted hangers-on.  Al-Hajeri said, "I hope the 
exhibition will bring positive results, especially through 
side meetings between representatives from the Iraqi Chamber 
of Commerce and Kuwaiti firms to agree on ways to cooperate 
to rebuild Iraq."  He added, "The strategic position of 
Kuwait makes it the closest gateway into Iraq.  Kuwait 
supports Iraq through the Kuwaiti companies which will 
contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq soon."  For her 
part, Dazee said, "Political stability and security were 
issues before, but now the situation in Iraq is improving. 
Our goal from such exhibitions is to get Arab and foreign 
companies to contribute to rebuilding the infrastructure of 
Iraq, and I encourage all companies to enter the Iraqi market 
and help us to rebuild it." 
 
¶2.  (SBU) About 75 companies operated booths at the expo, 
including about 40 Kuwaiti companies, 9 Iranian companies, 7 
Romanian companies, and other companies from Europe, the 
Gulf, and Australia.  The products and services represented 
included logistics services, industrial supplies, personal 
protective equipment, generators, construction materials, and 
commodes.  Prospective customer traffic through the expo 
seemed light both at the opening and during a follow-on visit 
by Econoff on day two of the event.  In an informal poll of a 
small sample of the booths, Kuwaiti and European sales 
representatives told Econoff that despite local press 
announcements and flyers promoting the event, attendance had 
been disappointing and few potential sales contacts had been 
made.  A sales rep from a Kuwaiti lube oil company told 
Econoff, "When most Kuwaitis hear the word Iraq they still 
think of a danger rather than a business opportunity." 
 
********************************************* * 
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