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C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000052 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA/ARP, NEA/RA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2019 
TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ IR KU
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER SPEAKS OUT ON ISSUES WITH IRAQ, 
IRAN 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 42 
     ¶B. 09KUWAIT 1112 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Pete O'Donohue for reasons 1.4 b and 
 d 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: In a wide-ranging January 17 interview with 
Al-Qabas, a leading Kuwaiti Arabic-language daily, Deputy 
Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Al 
Sabah voiced his thoughts on lingering bilateral issues with 
Iraq and on Kuwait's relations with Iran.  Embassy provides 
the following in-house translation of some of the FM's 
remarks.  The comments provide a useful summing up of GOK 
positions vis-a-vis Iraq and Iran following a series of 
high-level Iraqi visits to Kuwait (ref A) and the Prime 
Minister's November visit to Tehran (ref B), which set the 
stage for a possible future visit to Tehran by the Amir and 
an imminent visit to Kuwait by Speaker of the Iranian 
Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani (septel).  As noted in the 
FM's remarks, the GOK is openly irritated by the continuing 
Iraqi failure to name an Ambassador to Kuwait, resolve the 
border issue, or complete the search for Kuwaiti missing 
persons and is deeply worried by continuing instability in 
Iraq.  At the same time, the FM publicly signaled the GOK's 
willingness to be accommodating on debt and reparations 
issues and to contribute to Iraqi economic development; the 
FM also noted GOK plans to fund construction of a hospital in 
Basra.  On Iran, the FM discussed a possible future visit to 
Tehran by the Amir in his capacity as Chair of the GCC, noted 
Kuwait's readiness to abide by sanctions on Iran and 
acknowledged concerns that a "reckless" leadership in Israel 
could launch a strike on Iran.  End Summary. 
 
On Iraq 
------- 
¶2. (U)  When an Al-Qabas interviewer noted that Iraqi 
President Jalal Talibani, in an earlier interview with 
Al-Qabas, had said, "Iraq hopes that Kuwait as a brotherly 
neighbor would give Iraq a break and not exhaust us 
financially!" FM Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Al Sabah replied: 
"What do we want from the Iraq? We want security and peace of 
mind. We do not want money as money is the last thing on our 
minds. We want from Iraq good and safe neighborly relations 
because Iraq is a source of good to us as well as a source of 
evil for us. We have seen before how Saddam Hussein was the 
source of evil, and we told the Iraqi brothers on February 26 
of last year --- word for word --- that the issue is not 
about financial obligations but rather about assurances to 
Kuwait; as a large number of Kuwaitis carry deep doubts 
regarding the directions of the new Iraq." 
-- When asked to clarify what he meant by "assurances", Dr. 
Mohammed Al-Sabah said, 
"Assurances are not just decisions that are taken, they are 
actions which, over time, help build a sense of security. 
That is why the debts constitute an issue involving our 
psychological state, not our financial state. Let us be 
clear, We have not asked Iraq to repay the debts and we did 
not ask anyone else to do so. Debts do not pose a burden on 
Iraq. Here it is important to point out that here we are 
talking about debts and not about reparations, which have 
their own sanctity and a special international mechanism." 
-- Dr. Al-Sabah then explained, 
"We are talking about the debts which were ratified by the 
Kuwaiti National Assembly in favor of Iraq. We say to the 
brothers in Iraq: let us put the mechanism of the debts aside 
and discuss the real core issue; in other words, our speech 
(rhetoric) should not be inconsistent. For example, there are 
Iraqi parliamentarians who glorify what Saddam did against 
Kuwait!" 
-- When asked if there was a mechanism to write off the 
debts, Dr. Al-Sabah answered, 
"The mechanism for writing off debts exists through the 
National Assembly; but we have to focus on creating the 
appropriate climate for writing off these debts through the 
Kuwaiti parliament. But how can the Kuwaiti parliament write 
off the debts when there are Iraqi parliamentarians who are 
supportive of what Saddam did in Kuwait? A positive climate 
to help write off the debts must come through a clear, firm 
and re-assuring Iraqi message." 
-- When asked about border demarcation, the FM said, 
"For example, there is a problem related to the maintenance 
of a pipe that marks the border. So far, the Iraqi side has 
not abided by the United Nations decisions. There is also the 
problem of accounting for the remains of the Kuwaitis who 
were killed, as were thousands of Iraqis under the Saddam 
regime." 
-- Asked what is the truth in this statement, "The Expansion 
in the UmQasr Port will come at the expense of Kuwait," the 
FM responded: 
 
"The port in Umm Qasr is Iraqi. However, we promised to help 
in expanding the water course in Khor Abdulla, so that large 
commercial tankers can go through. Nevertheless, Umm Qasr, as 
an area, is Kuwaiti and we do not think of establishing a 
port in Umm Qasr to compete with the Iraqi port. We are 
thinking of establishing a port in Boubyan." 
-- Asked whether Kuwait intends to build a joint free zone in 
Southern Iraq, the FM said, 
"We are thinking of establishing an industrial zone involving 
four countries -- namely, Kuwait, Iraq, Turkey and Great 
Britain.  It is in Kuwait's interest to see prosperity in 
Southern Iraq. We benefit from Iraq's stability because this 
will give us the chance to have security and political, 
social and economic communications. Security is our number 
one concern. When your neighbor enjoys prosperity, you can 
sleep in peace." 
-- Asked to respond to the argument that Kuwait is not doing 
enough to promote development in Basra, or the Iraqi south in 
general, the FM replied: 
"Not at all. It is actually unfair to accuse Kuwait of not 
doing enough towards the development of Iraq's South. We are 
witnessing a volatile region in Southern Iraq. The governor 
of Basra will come as a guest to Kuwait soon in an effort to 
reinforce the strong relationship between the two countries. 
(Note: This statement refers to a January 17 - 19 visit to 
Kuwait by Basra Governor Shaltag Aboud, reported ref A.  End 
Note.) 
-- Asked about Iranian intervention is Southern Iraq, the FM 
said, 
"Basra has borders with Iran and Kuwait. I do not blame the 
Iranians if they interfere in the affairs of southern Iraq 
because they are concerned that unrest in southern Iraq may 
affect them." 
-- In response to an interviewer's comment that it was clear 
that the FM had serious concerns about the security situation 
in Southern Iraq, the FM responded, 
"Of course we are concerned about a deterioration in the 
security situation. If I were not concerned about the safety 
of my country, I should not be in my position (as FM). I am 
concerned about three things with regard to southern Iraq: 
sectarian conflict which may be transferred to Kuwait because 
it is like a virus. It crosses borders, and this is a 
political concern. I have a concern that conflicts, 
terrorism, and remnants of Al-Qaeda may move to Kuwait to 
stir up the situation. And thirdly, I have a concern that the 
collapse of security in Iraq could lead a large number of 
Iraqis to cross the borders into Kuwait. I fear a human 
influx as a result of the security collapse on the other side 
of the border." 
-- Asked about the ongoing issue of Iraq's failure to appoint 
an Ambassador to Kuwait, the FM noted, 
"The question of appointing an ambassador is a question of 
sovereignty. Appointing a Kuwaiti Ambassador in Baghdad was 
of special interest to Kuwait. However, Iraqi failure to 
appoint an Ambassador to Kuwait has been received with strong 
astonishment. Diplomatically speaking, it is unacceptable as 
the Iraqi embassy in Kuwait is without an Ambassador. They 
provide excuses to which we cannot respond. Their excuse is 
that there is a strong internal dispute regarding who will 
take over the position. Delay in the question of naming an 
Ambassador is unacceptable although it could be attributed to 
electoral circumstances in Iraq.  Kuwait has decided to build 
a large hospital in southern Iraq; however, security and 
non-security circumstances do not help." 
On Iran 
------- 
 
¶3. (U) In response to an inquiry from an Al-Qabas interview 
as to whether there had been any coordination with Saudi 
Arabia prior to Prime Minister Shaykh Nasser Al Sabah's 
November 21 - 22 visit to Tehran (reported ref B), the FM 
responded, 
"Prior to the visit to Tehran by the Kuwaiti Prime Minister, 
I made a call to the Saudi Foreign Minister. The visit came 
at a time when media campaigns between Saudi Arabia and Iran 
escalated ahead of the Hajj season. There was a fear that 
regrettable and disturbing events could recur. This was a key 
Kuwaiti message given to our friends in Iran.  Our Brothers 
in Saudi Arabia were informed of the assurances which were 
delivered by the Iranians via Shaykh Nasser Al-Mohammed. 
Indeed, the Hajj season this year went without problems." 
-- Asked about a possible upcoming visit to Tehran by the 
Amir, the FM said, 
"In his capacity as GCC Summit chairman, the Amir of Kuwait 
will play a role. We talk about Iran as a big and pivotal 
country in this region. Any unrest in Iran will reflect on 
us. Therefore, we, as GCC States, need a delicate dialogue 
with Iran in which we express our wishes and concerns 
regarding Iran directly and frankly because we are partners 
 
in the Arabian Gulf basin. We have to work hard in 
preparation for the Amir's prospective visit to Iran." 
-- Asked whether Kuwait would comply with sanctions imposed 
on Iran, the FM said, 
"Of course, our country was liberated by a UN Resolution; 
therefore, we cannot ignore the international resolutions on 
Iran." 
-- Asked about concerns in GCC countries that sanctions on 
Iran could come at the expense of GCC states, the FM replied, 
"It is our fate to be in this region. It is our fate to be 
neighbors to Iran and to Saddam Hussein. It is our fate to be 
in this inflammable and volatile region. It is our fate to be 
in a region where the oldest and most ferocious conflict is 
namely, the Arab-Israeli conflict." 
Asked whether the GOK fears the consequences of an Israeli 
strike against Iran, the FM said, 
"I cannot predict whether there will be an Israeli strike on 
Iran or not. We have a reckless and crazy fellow ruling 
Israel and he has a Foreign Minister who has spoken about 
striking the High Dam in Egypt with an atomic bomb." 
Asked why the issue between Iran and Kuwait of the 
continental shelf has not yet been resolved yet, the FM said, 
"The continental shelf is a thorn in Kuwaiti - Iranian 
relations. This thorn needs to be removed so that the Amir's 
prospective visit to Tehran will be crowned with the closure 
of this file.  We hope that Iran will agree on holding 
tripartite negotiations at the nearest chance possible. We 
have proposed -- in the event of failure to resolve this 
problem -- to go to the International Court." 
¶4. (C) Comment:  There has been only a limited public 
response to the FM's surprisingly straightforward comments in 
Al-Qabas, although the response of many Kuwaitis appears to 
be that it was useful for the FM to lay Kuwaiti positions 
vis-a-vis Iraq and Iran on the line.  While a number of 
commentators praised the FM's "vivid and unequivocal" 
description of the "explosive" situation in the Arabian Gulf 
region, some others -- including some Members of Parliament 
-- criticized the GOK's plan to fund a hospital in Basra or 
make any concessions on debt and reparations.  For many 
Kuwaitis, the wounds of the 1990 Iraqi invasion have yet to 
heal.  In their minds, concessions to Iraq    while border 
issues remain unresolved and disappeared Kuwaitis remain 
missing is hard to swallow.  The GOK, also, feels that it has 
made abundant concessions to Iraq and that it's time for the 
GOI to "pick up the check" and move forward. End Comment. 
 
********************************************* ********* 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
visit Kuwait's Classified Website at: 
 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Kuwa it 
********************************************* ********* 
JONES