SITREP NO. 5

UNCLAS KUWAIT 001018 SIPDIS DEPT ALSO FOR USAID DCHA/OFDA GENEVA FOR UNDRO AND LRCS USCINCCENT ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AEMR AMGT PREL ASEC CASC EAID KU SUBJECT: SITREP NO. 5 REF: KUWAIT 1013 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. SITREP NO. 5 AS OF 1159 HOURS LOCAL, 0359 HOURS WASHINGTON TIME MARCH 21. ¶2. EVENTS SINCE LAST SITREP (all reported times are Kuwait Local, GMT plus three): -------------- Security/Military -------------- In the past twelve hours, we have had four duck-and- cover alerts in response to reported launches of surface-to-surface missiles from Iraq. The most recent was at approximately 9:25 a.m. No/no reports of damage or casualties, nor any indication of chemical or biological warheads. s. -------------- Political -------------- We facilitated MFA authorization for the Kuwaiti Embassy in Washington to issue a visa to an Iraqi national hired by VOA/ORHA who needed to travel urgently. -------------- Consular -------------- Some of the stranded Amcit passengers reported earlier have departed to Dubai on Kuwait Airways, which will arrange for them to go to Chicago; others are leaving at noon for London, also on Kuwait Airways. A Consular officer and FSN are driving to the Saudi border at Nuweisib (southeastern corner of Kuwait) today to meet with the team from Congen Dhahran and with Kuwaiti border officials. The Saudi Embassy here is open and accepting visa applications even today Friday (local weekend),clearly preferring this to issuing emergency visas at the border. We know of no/no Amcits at the border in need of help. Of the 23 persons (Amcits and their family-members) mentioned in the last Sitrep who had contacted the Embassy to request assistance departing Kuwait, only two (Amcits both) are still pending departure. -------------- Management -------------- We clarified to TFIZ01 and NEA/ARP a CNN report that Kuwait City International Airport had suspended operations. The airport remains operational, with at least Kuwait Airways continuing to fly. (The reported suspension was merely momentary, in response to an air- raid siren.) ¶3. COMMENTS: None ¶4. STATUS OF PENDING REQUESTS: See above. JONES