VZCZCXRO4434
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHKU #0370/01 0970605
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 060605Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1128
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RHEFHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 KUWAIT 000370 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ARP AND NEA/I 
DHS FOR T. WARRICK 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2018 
TAGS: PREL PTER KCIP KDRG KTFN KU IZ IR
SUBJECT: SECRETARY CHERTOFF DISCUSSES CT WITH KUWAITI 
LEADERSHIP (MARCH 24-25, 2008) 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 337 
     ¶B. KUWAIT 313 
     ¶C. STATE 07443 
     ¶D. KUWAIT 320 
 
Classified By: CDA Alan G. Misenheimer for reasons 1.4 (b,d) 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) During a March 24-25 visit to Kuwait, DHS Secretary 
Michael Chertoff met with Kuwait's Amir, Crown Prince, PM, 
FM, MinDef and National Security Bureau President (NSB) to 
discuss counterterrorism and information sharing, Iran and 
Iraq, Critical Energy Infrastructure Protection and the USG's 
"Secure Borders, Open Doors" policy.  Chertoff obtained the 
Amir's approval to begin development of a Passenger Name 
Record system for Kuwait, and both sides agreed to an 
exchange of experts within the next 2-3 weeks to investigate 
its implementation. 
 
¶2. (C) The Amir renewed his call for the repatriation of 
Kuwait's four remaining Guantanamo detainees.  The PM 
expressed his concerns about potential Iraqi refugees from 
southern Iraq and reiterated GOK opposition to a U.S. 
military strike on Iran.  The FM said global restrictions on 
Islamic charities risked denying aid to the needy, and that 
terrorist organizations were now filling that role.  He also 
commented on the insulting manner in which the SARG had 
delivered its Arab League Summit invitation to PM Fouad 
Siniora.  NSB President Ahmed Al-Fahed raised GOK concerns 
about the treatment of Arabs at U.S. ports of entry.  End 
summary. 
 
Initial Activities 
------------------ 
 
¶3. (C) On March 24, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff viewed 
Kuwait's northern border with Iraq from the Khabari Crossing 
to the Khor Abdullah via helicopter with GOK and Embassy 
officials.  The tour included a detailed Customs briefing at 
the Khabari Crossing.  Later in the day, the Secretary met 
with members of the National Union of Kuwaiti Students and 
participated in a press round table with twelve local 
journalists at the Embassy.  The following day, the Secretary 
visited Good Morning Kuwait for an early-morning television 
interview, and then went into a series of late-morning and 
early-afternoon meetings with senior GOK leadership. 
 
March 25 Meeting Participants 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) On March 25, Secretary Chertoff met with the Amir of 
Kuwait, Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al Sabah; the Crown 
Prince, Shaykh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al Sabah; the Prime 
Minister, Shaykh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al Sabah; the 
Foreign Minister, Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al 
Sabah; the Minister of Defense and First Deputy Prime 
Minister, Shaykh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al Sabah and National 
Security Bureau President Shaykh Ahmed Al-Fahed Al-Ahmed Al 
Sabah.  MOI U/S LTG Ahmed Al-Rujaib and Kuwaiti Ambassador to 
the U.S. Shaykh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al Sabah also 
attended each of the meetings.  CDA Misenheimer, DHS Chief of 
Staff Chad Sweet, DHS Middle East Policy Advisor Thomas 
Warrick, DHS A/S for Public Affairs Ed Fox and poloff 
attended on the U.S. side. 
 
Counterterrorism 
---------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Secretary Chertoff discussed DHS's Advance Passenger 
Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) systems 
with the GOK senior leadership and offered to help develop a 
similar system for Kuwait.  The Secretary explained that PNR 
collects passenger data such as addresses, telephone numbers, 
and credit card information from airline records, which DHS 
analysts then analyze for potential terrorist connections. 
Chertoff said DHS could collect and analyze this information 
up to 72 hours before take-off, and that the USG would be 
willing to share its findings, subject to arrangements for 
handling such information, with the GOK.  The Amir, PM and 
 
KUWAIT 00000370  002 OF 004 
 
 
NSB President all agreed that this would be useful for 
Kuwait.  Secretary Chertoff offered an exchange of experts to 
begin studying and implementing the system, which the PM 
recommended begin "immediately."  (Note: DHS proposed to 
initiate the first exchange of experts within 2-3 weeks.  End 
note.) 
 
¶6. (C) The Secretary expressed the USG's extreme concern 
about terrorist financing and said America wanted to help 
prevent Kuwait from becoming a terror finance platform.  The 
Amir said all GOK ministries are carefully watching the flow 
of money in Kuwait and praised the Ministry of Social Affairs 
and Labor (MOSAL) for its strong oversight of Islamic 
charities.  NSB President Shaykh Ahmed promised to continue 
providing the USG with actionable intelligence.  The Minister 
of Defense, marching to the beat of a different drum, claimed 
that there were no dangerous individuals in Kuwait and that 
Kuwait was "not a land of terror financiers."  (Note: MOSAL 
has been ineffective in controlling the final destination of 
charitable contributions and the USG suspects some Kuwaiti 
charities directly finance terrorist organizations.  In 
addition, the UNSC 1267 Committee recently designated three 
Kuwaiti nationals as terror financiers (ref C).  End note.) 
 
¶7. (C) FM Mohammed Al Sabah lamented that U.S.-led 
international efforts to restrict Islamic charities risked 
denying aid to the needy.  He added that charities could be 
powerful tools to fight terrorism and that the "crackdown on 
official charities" has harmed the U.S. image and created a 
vacuum that is now being filled by Al-Qaeda and other 
terrorist groups, especially in Africa.  CDA pointed out that 
any "crackdown" was aimed only at illegitimate charities, and 
that legitimate groups should welcome measures that would 
clearly distinguish them from terrorist entities. 
 
Guantanamo Detainees 
-------------------- 
 
¶8. (C) The Amir raised the issue of the remaining four 
Kuwaiti Guantanamo detainees with the Secretary.  He noted 
their long detention without trial, asked for their release, 
and said the GOK would ensure they no longer posed a threat 
to U.S. interests.  The Secretary relayed U.S. concerns about 
the detainees' potential recidivism and the GOK's ability to 
effectively monitor their activities.  Chertoff said two of 
the four detainees would soon face trial in the U.S., but 
promised to relay the Amir's request to Secretary of Defense 
Gates. 
 
¶9. (C) PM Nasser Al Sabah, speaking on the same subject, 
cautioned that "this is a big issue for us," but allowed that 
U.S. courts "will have their say."  Interestingly, Shaykh 
Nasser recounted that, during a recent GOK official visit to 
Guantanamo Bay, the Kuwaiti GTMO detainees refused to meet 
with their country's delegation.  He attributed this to the 
detainees' long detention and poor mental state.  (Note: AMB 
Salem was a strong proponent of this visit, which took place 
on March 18.  End note.) 
 
Lebanon/Kuwait Attendance at the Arab Summit 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (C) The FM said he discussed the upcoming Arab League 
Damascus Summit with Lebanese PM Fouad Siniora on March 24. 
He said that, according to Siniora, the SARG invitation to 
Damascus was "awkward," and was deliberately intended to be 
insulting.  The FM said the manner of the invitation was a 
clear indication that a Lebanese representative would not be 
welcome at the summit. 
 
¶11. (C) CDA cited U.S. policy on the summit and asked if the 
GOK's level of representation was still under review.  Shaykh 
Mohammed said the GOK carefully deliberated the composition 
of its delegation to Damascus, but in the end decided the 
Amir would lead.  He expressed frustration with the whole 
matter and doubted that the summit would produce positive 
results, saying that without agreement between Saudi Arabia 
and Syria, there can be no solution to the crisis in Lebanon. 
 The FM concluded that the Amir would be on the ground in 
Damascus only very briefly before proceeding to an official 
visit to Turkey. 
 
KUWAIT 00000370  003 OF 004 
 
 
 
Iraq 
---- 
 
¶12. (C) Secretary Chertoff expressed the USG's desire to see 
economic conditions improve in southern Iraq and asked the 
Amir whether Kuwait would soon be importing more Iraqi 
commodities.  The Amir said "we haven't prevented this," but 
then implied that Kuwait did not need Iraqi imports since it 
was satisfied with its existing trading partners.  The Amir 
cited current violence in Basra and the possibility of 
refugee flows as reasons why Kuwait would not be relaxing its 
border controls with Iraq.  The PM echoed this point, and 
said Kuwait had neither the infrastructure nor the personnel 
to deal with Iraqi refugees.  He also expressed GOK fear of 
armed Basrawi militias infiltrating Kuwait. 
 
Iran 
---- 
 
¶13. (C) The PM reiterated Kuwait's objection to an American 
military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, predictably 
couching the GOK's argument in environmental terms.  He 
opined that Iran had strategically placed 8 of its nuclear 
facilities near borders with neighboring countries and 
commented that the Bushehr facility is now in "an advanced 
state."  Shaykh Nasser said "peace and dialogue is the only 
option," and called for the U.S. to allow IAEA Director 
General Mohamed ElBaradei enough time to achieve a peaceful 
solution to the standoff, noting that he is the only 
individual whom all sides trust.  Secretary Chertoff 
reassured the PM that America is also seeking a peaceful 
solution, but advised that the USG would remain firm on this 
issue and that it could not accept a nuclear-armed Iran. 
 
CEIP 
---- 
 
¶14. (C) Secretary Chertoff raised Critical Energy 
Infrastructure Protection (CEIP) with Shaykh Ahmed and noted 
specific Al-Qaeda threats against the region's energy 
infrastructure.  Charge referenced the recently-concluded 
Gulf Security Dialogue (GSD) (ref A), which included CEIP 
discussions, and called for a mechanism to broaden our 
bilateral cooperation in this area.  (Note: During the GSD, 
the GOK said it would not sign a long-pending MOU with the 
U.S. on CEIP, as no such agreement was needed to allow for 
closer cooperation, more information sharing, and an exchange 
of experts.  End note).  Shaykh Ahmed said he shared USG 
concerns about potential Al-Qaeda or Iranian attacks against 
Kuwait's energy infrastructure.  Nevertheless, he claimed 
that Kuwait had already implemented "70 percent" of the USG's 
CEIP recommendations and declined further discussion of a 
CEIP MOU.  (Note: To date, the GOK has taken a strictly 
hardware-centric approach to CEIP and has not implemented any 
of the more complex, inter-ministerial, systemic upgrades 
recommended by the USG.  End note.) 
 
Secure Borders, Open Doors 
-------------------------- 
 
¶15. (C) NSB President Ahmed Al-Fahed cautioned that U.S. 
security procedures at its ports of entry were "destroying" 
America's image.  He said Kuwaitis were opting to travel and 
study elsewhere and asked what the U.S. was doing to remedy 
this problem.  Secretary Chertoff said the USG shares 
Kuwait's concern about this issue, but offered that such 
negative perceptions had not kept pace with reality.  He 
cited the return of tourist travel to pre-9/11 levels, as 
well as improvements in the visa issuance and immigration 
processes.  Nevertheless, the Secretary promised to 
investigate ways to improve traveler amenities, especially in 
secondary inspection areas.  He also noted that improved 
biometric procedures and the increased use of e-passports 
would reduce the number of travelers referred to secondary 
inspection. 
 
¶16. (C) The FM queried Secretary Chertoff on U.S.-Mexico 
border control efforts.  Shaykh Mohammed showed great 
interest in the USG's use of unmanned aerial vehicles and 
ground-based radar to monitor its border and noted the 
 
KUWAIT 00000370  004 OF 004 
 
 
similarities in terrain between Kuwait and parts of the 
American Southwest.  The FM responded positively to a DHS 
invitation to have Kuwaiti officials observe technical 
demonstrations in the U.S.  Shaykh Mohammed said Kuwait had 
installed observation posts every three kilometers along its 
border, and that MOI border guards utilize infrared sights 
with an effective range of five kilometers.  According to the 
FM, these posts have direct communications with roving 
guards. 
 
Domestic Politics 
----------------- 
 
¶17. (C) FM Dr. Mohammed explained the Amir's March 19 
decision to dissolve Parliament (ref D), saying that Kuwaiti 
MPs had become obsessed with pork barrel legislation and 
constituent grandstanding.  He added that the GOK was 
committed to limiting the role of tribes in the May 17 
elections since they have proven to be too parochial and 
myopic.  The PM, commenting on the upcoming elections, said 
he was hoping women would comprise 10-12 percent of the new 
Parliament.  (Note: Kuwaiti analysts at this point generally 
predict that no women will be elected in the upcoming 
elections, noting that the new 5 electoral district system 
reduces their chances.  End note.) 
 
********************************************* * 
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/ 
********************************************* * 
Lenderking