VZCZCXYZ0010
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #1094 3341359
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301359Z NOV 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3222
INFO RUEHKU/AMEMBASSY KUWAIT 1055

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001094 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR IO/UNP - S EDMONDSON, L/DL, DS/OFM, NEA/ARP. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OFDP UN KU
SUBJECT: KUWAITI COMPLAINS RE DIPLOMATIC PARKING PROGRAM, 
THREATENS RECIPROCITY 
 
¶1. On November 27, 2007, USUN received a diplomatic note from 
the Kuwait Mission to the UN (text in paragraph 2 below) 
objecting to the New York City Parking Program for Diplomatic 
Vehicles because its application does not correspond to 
Kuwait's treatment of American Embassy vehicles in Kuwait. 
This note was sent in response to a USUN note (HC-111-07) 
advising the Kuwait MUN that, pursuant to the Parking Program 
for Diplomatic Vehicles, the number of the Kuwaiti Mission's 
outstanding parking tickets would prevent the registration 
renewal of a Mission vehicle at the end of the month. While 
Kuwait has paid its outstanding tickets to the City of New 
York as requested, the Mission will recommend that its 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs apply the same procedures of the 
Parking Program for Diplomatic Vehicles to American Embassy 
vehicles in Kuwait City. 
 
¶2. Text of Kuwaiti note 611/2007:   The Permanent Mission of 
the State of Kuwait to the United Nations presents its 
compliments to the United States Mission to the United 
Nations and with reference to the latter's note HC-111-07 
dated 13 November 2007, wishes to convey the remittance of 
the outstanding summonses on license plate numbers 0001JCD 
and 044JCD (attached is a copy of a receipt from the NYC 
Department of Finance - $1,280.00). 
 
Furthermore, the Permanent Mission of Kuwait wishes to draw 
to the attention of the United States Mission that this 
Mission does not condone violations of the law but 
nevertheless finds the Diplomatic Parking Program 
unacceptable for the fact that it is not the same practice of 
the Kuwaiti authorities towards the American Embassy in 
Kuwait City. For that, the Mission regrets that it will 
recommend to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait a 
reciprocity process wherein the American Embassy vehicles 
will go through the same process subjected to the Mission's 
vehicles in New York city. 
 
The Permanent Mission of the State of Kuwait to the United 
Nations avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the 
United States Mission to the United Nations the assurances of 
its highest consideration. 
 
¶3. Comment: In November 2002, USUN, OFM/NY and the NYC 
Commission for the UN, Consular Corps and Protocol 
established the current Parking Program for Diplomatic 
Vehicles in New York. The Program, which provides two 
dedicated and marked parking spaces for each Permanent 
Mission in the proximity of that Mission, and also includes a 
review and appeals process for traffic and parking tickets, 
was designed in part to ensure that UN missions respected 
local parking and traffic laws by requiring Missions and 
their employees to pay fines associated with validly issued 
parking and traffic summonses. While the Program is 
successful, several UN Missions dislike the Program either 
because they object on principle to submiting to a host 
country (NYC) jurisdiction or because they perceive the 
review and appeals process regarding summonses as cumbersome 
or arbitrary. 
Khalilzad