VZCZCXRO3824
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHKU #0787/01 1921356
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101356Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1843
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 1266
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000787 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA/ARP, NEA/I 
H FOR CODEL REED 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER PGOV OREP KDEM KU
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR CODEL REED'S JULY 20 VISIT TO 
KUWAIT 
 
Summary 
--------- 
 
¶1.  Embassy Kuwait warmly welcomes your July 20th visit to 
this small but important Gulf ally.  Your timing is 
propitious for advancing bilateral engagement between Iraq 
and Kuwait.  We have requested a meeting with Amir Shaykh 
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah during which you will have 
the opportunity to underscore our committed bilateral 
relationship and to show appreciation for the tremendous 
support that Kuwait provides to our efforts in Iraq.  Our 
recent ranking of Kuwait as a Tier III (worst offender) for 
trafficking in persons (TIP) and designation of a prominent 
Kuwait-based charity, Revival of Islamic Heritage Society 
(RIHS) as a financial resource for terrorists, seriously 
ruffled some leadership feathers here, but also prompted 
introspection and hopefully positive action on domestic 
practices and terror finance monitoring.  Internally, Kuwait 
is experiencing the growing pains of a fledgling democracy as 
it makes genuine power sharing efforts between legislative 
and executive branches within a changing demographic base. 
Political noise notwithstanding, our bilateral relationship 
with the government is secure.  End summary. 
 
Kuwait is an Indispensable Ally 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Kuwaiti people remain deeply grateful to the U.S. 
for leading Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The Government of 
Kuwait (GOK) provides nearly $1 billion annually in material 
and logistical support to Operation Iraqi Freedom, including 
access to airspace and ground bases, discounted fuel and use 
of air and sea ports to move material and personnel in and 
out of Iraq.  Indeed, Kuwait and its leadership, with Amir 
Shaykh Sabah at the helm, contributes more than all other 
nations combined to support our stabilization efforts in 
Iraq.  Last year, nearly 500,000 troops transited Kuwait en 
route to Iraq and Afghanistan.  You hopefully will have an 
opportunity to visit the first rate facilities at Camp 
Arifjan. 
 
Iraq Support and Debt Relief 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  It has been something of a psychological sea change for 
Kuwaitis to go from being Iraq's historical victims--invaded, 
pillaged and murdered by Saddam's armies--and subsequently 
liberated and sheltered by the U.S. to having the USG become 
Iraq's chief solicitor as we seek to stabilize and rebuild 
that country.  Kuwait hosted a successful Iraq Neighbors 
Conference in April this year.  It has pledged $500 million 
to Iraqi reconstruction efforts and is awaiting Iraqi 
proposals to allocate and disperse funds through its aid 
organization, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. 
Much of this aid will be earmarked for schools and hospitals. 
 Kuwait is unlikely to follow the UAE in canceling Iraq's 
significant bilateral debt ($29 billion).  Such a move would 
require Parliamentary approval since this is publicly held 
debt (unlike elsewhere in the GCC), and Members of Parliament 
(MPs) have publicly indicated their opposition to the idea; 
at the same time, there has been no move to actively collect 
on this debt.  Recently the GOK and GOI negotiated creative 
solutions to other claims involving Kuwait Airways and we 
anticipate similar flexibility in the future. 
 
Kuwaiti Ambassador to Baghdad 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  The GOK named Major General (retired) Ali Al-Mo'min as 
its Ambassador-designate to Baghdad in 2004, promising to 
send him upon the simultaneous posting of an Iraqi ambassador 
to Kuwait, an announcement we hope to hear soon. 
 
Kuwait and Counterterrorism 
----------------------------- 
 
¶5.  Reports that three Kuwaitis, including former Guantanamo 
detainee Abdullah Al-Ajmi, participated in April suicide 
attacks in Mosul, Iraq dismayed the Kuwaiti leadership and 
highlighted our concerns that a permissive environment in 
Kuwait has enabled extremists.  Subsequent to that incident, 
the GOK froze the assets of three Kuwaiti UNSCR 1267 
designees and appears to have increased its vigilance.  We 
work closely with the GOK on these concerns. 
 
¶6.  On June 19, under U.S. Executive Order, we designated 
Kuwait's domestic headquarters of the Revival of Islamic 
 
KUWAIT 00000787  002 OF 002 
 
 
Heritage Society (RIHS) as a terror financier.  This act, 
coupled with our June 4 Tier III TIP ranking, prompted 
criticism from the government, MPs and the Kuwaiti press for 
perceived USG intrusion into domestic issues. 
 
Kuwait's Internal Political Dynamics 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  Unique in the Gulf region, Kuwait's ruling family 
democratically shares power with its legislative counterpart 
in the National Assembly.  Women were granted the right to 
vote in 2005.  This fledgling democracy, however, is often 
stunted by obstreperous and agenda-driven MPs, while a 
relatively free press (17 different newspapers) antagonizes 
both sides.  On March 19, the Amir constitutionally dissolved 
parliament for the second time in two years; the subsequent 
May 17 election was widely viewed as a success for 
conservative, Islamist MPs, and a defeat for women, who ran 
positive campaigns, but failed to get elected.  When 
presenting the newly appointed Cabinet (which included two 
women) at the June 2 opening session of parliament, the Amir 
issued a thinly-veiled threat to dissolve the body again if 
it could not work amicably with the government.  Though 
parliament adjourned on June 26, rumors abound of pending 
interpellation of cabinet ministers by MPs who are displeased 
with government performance or are pursuing personal or 
constituency agendas.  This intergovernmental bickering is 
unlikely to significantly affect any key U.S.-Kuwait 
bilateral issues. 
 
¶8.  Senior USG Administration visitors in Kuwait this year 
have included Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff, Assistant 
to the President on Homeland Security and Counterterrorism 
Wainstein, MNF-I Commanding General Petraeus, Department of 
State senior officials on counterterrorism and Iraq, 
respectively, Ambassadors Dailey and Satterfield, as well as 
the President in January and Secretary Rice on several 
occasions.  The President has invited the Prime Minister to 
visit Washington this fall. 
 
 
 
 
********************************************* * 
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/ 
********************************************* * 
JONES