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P 271356Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
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RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000061 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA/ARP, NEA/RA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2019 
TAGS: PREL ECON IR KU
SUBJECT: IRANIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER LARIJANI COMPLETES 
VISIT TO KUWAIT 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 52 
     ¶B. 09 KUWAIT 1151 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Pete O'Donohue for reasons 1.4 b and 
 d 
 
¶1. (U) Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani completed a 
two-day visit to Kuwait on January 27 at the invitation of 
Kuwaiti Parliament speaker Jassem Al-Kharafi, who met 
Larijani on arrival at Kuwait airport.  While Kuwait's press 
provided only a sketchy outline of the meetings, some ink was 
devoted to reported provocative comments by Larijani, 
delivered shortly after he touched down on January 26, that 
Israeli threats to attack Iran are "empty talk.  If they 
dared to carry out attacks against Iran, they would already 
have done so."  Larijani also reportedly dismissed 
international community threats to boost sanctions against 
Iran.  According to press reports, Speaker Al-Kharafi told 
the press assembled for Larijani's arrival that the Iranian 
Speaker's visit implicitly recognizes Iran's important role 
in the region and was a normal part of maintaining a 
relationship between the two countries and their respective 
parliaments.  In addition to his meeting with Al-Kharafi, 
Larijani also met with the Amir and Prime Minister Shaykh 
Nasser Al Sabah.  Press accounts reported following the 
meeting that the two sides focused their discussion on 
economic issues and the potential for boosting commercial 
ties. 
 
¶2. (C)  Speaker Larijani's meetings in come on the heels of 
"chatter" regarding two long standing Kuwaiti-Iranian 
bilateral economic issues:  Kuwait's need to import natural 
gas from its neighbors and the disposition of the offshore 
Dora field, shared between Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. 
The Iranian press has played up Kuwait's interest in 
purchasing Iranian gas, and Kuwait's FM raised the 
"settlement of the continental shelf" as a "thorn in Kuwaiti 
- Iranian relations" in an interview with a leading Arabic 
language daily, Al-Qabas (ref A).  The fact that Larijani was 
invited by parliament, but met with the Amir triggered 
speculation from some diplomatic observers that he "was 
carrying a message." 
 
¶3. (C) Comment:  For wealthy but weak Kuwait, commerce equals 
politics.  Kuwait and Iran have engaged in longstanding if 
not necessarily fruitful talks on issues related to natural 
gas.  In December, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation CEO Saad 
Al-Shuwaib told Deputy Secretary of Energy Poneman that 
Kuwait had had discussions with Iran, Iraq, and Qatar over 
the years about the possibility of importing pipeline gas, 
but that nothing had come of these. (ref B).  His comments 
reflected the general frustration that other Kuwaiti 
officials have expressed about the difficulties of concluding 
a hydrocarbon agreement with Iran.  According to the CEO of 
the private sector company Kuwait Energy, the Dora field is 
considerably larger (at about 10 trillion cubic feet of gas) 
than originally estimated.  Given Kuwait's need for natural 
gas for power generation, it is clear that this is a subject 
the GoK would like to resolve. 
 
¶4. (C) Comment Continued:  On the political level, Iran may 
be interested in reaching out to Kuwait, particularly in its 
role as GCC chair, to lobby for support in staving off 
sanctions -- an effort perhaps reflected in comments made 
January 17 by FM Dr. Mohammed to the effect that imposing 
sanctions on Iran increases tension and concern (ref A). 
Kuwait, for its part, cannot afford to provoke its large 
neighbor, even as it uses these visits to convey -- however 
nuanced -- GCC concerns over Iranian activities and its 
nuclear program. 
¶5. (U) Embassy is seeking a read-out of the Larijani visit 
from MFA and from officials on the commercial side and will 
report this septel. 
 
 
 
********************************************* ********* 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
visit Kuwait's Classified Website at: 
 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Kuwa it 
********************************************* ********* 
JONES