UNCLAS KUWAIT 005231

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: DECL: N/A
TAGS: PREL MOPS US KU
SUBJECT: Erroneous GOK Press Statement Reqardinq Accident
Near Bubiyan Island

(U) SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIEO - PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.


1. (SBU) This afternoon the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior
issued a press statement (text in paragraph 3 below)
regarding a naval incident that took place near Bubiyan
Island this morning in which one American and one Kuwait
received minor injuries. The MOI statement contains
information that differs markedly from our understanding of
the events. Specifically, the statement claims that the
incident occurred near Warba Island (north of Bubiyan) and
that a Kuwaiti vessel came under fire from an Iraqi vessel.
Our understanding, based on information provided by a US
military source, is that the incident actually occurred in
the Khor as-Subiyah, west of Bubiyan, well inside Kuwaiti
waters, that there was no (repeat no) Iraqi involvement at
all and that no shots were fired.


2. (SBU) According to our source, the incident was a simple
accident. Three Kuwaiti naval boats were taking some
American Special Forces personnel to survey a possible
future bed-down site on Bubiyan Island. Two boats were in
the lead with one behind. For reasons unknown, the first
two boats stopped. The driver of the third was not paying
close enough attention and ran into the back of one of the
other boats. In the collision two people were lightly
injured, an American (who was medevaced to Camp Doha where
he received 12 stitches for a laceration on his head) and a
Kuwaiti (who received some broken bones).


3. (SBU) Unfortunately, initial reports were considerably
more alarming than this information and quickly spread into
the media (at one point it was said that two people shot
had been shot in the head). Perhaps to dampen this kind of
sensational reporting, the Ministry of Interior issued the
following statement (informal embassy translation):

BEGIN TEXT OF EMBASSY TRANSLATION OF MOI STATEMENT

A security source at the Ministry of Interior stated that
on the morning of Tuesday, December 3, 2002, while two
coast guard boats were on a routine patrol in the Northern
region, close to Warba island, when an Iraqi boat happened
to be in the region and opened fire on them (two Kuwaiti
coast guard boats). No injuries resulted from the shooting
except for the collision of the two Kuwaiti boats, which
took place during the shooting. This led to the very
slight injury of one of the elements as a result of the
collision.

END TEXT


4. (SBU) Embassy and CFLCC PAO's have spent the afternoon
fending off press queries based on the MOI statement. To
this point we have declined to substantiate anything in the
statement. However, local press has also picked up the
news that an American was involved (not mentioned in the
MOI statement). While we have not confirmed this, we
believe that the US will have no choice but to acknowledge
soon that an American was injured, albeit lightly, in the
collision. At this stage, we recommend Washington press
guidance confirm an incident but decline to provide any
details until we have a chance to look into the matter more
fully with the GOK. Above all, we should not suggest that
we have any reason to believe that there is any Iraqi
involvement at this time.


5. (SBU) PAO spoke with the chief military public affairs
of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense this evening, who said
that he had advised the Ministry of the Interior not to
accuse the Iraqis of opening fire on the Kuwaiti vessels,
but that his advice went unheeded. PAO warned this contact
that the story was being reported in the international
media and had the potential of damaging Kuwait's
credibility. PAO urged this official, a general officer in
the Kuwaiti military, to ask his colleagues in the Ministry
of Interior to issue a new statement backing away from
their original assertion of Iraqi involvement. The contact
told us that he would recommend to the MOI that they issue
a new statement saying that the original reports of Iraqi
gunfire might have been inaccurate.
JONES