KUWAIT: WTO SERVICES NEGOTIATIONS NOTICE DELIVERED

UNCLAS KUWAIT 001363 SIPDIS DEPT PASS USTR FOR JBUNTIN GENEVA FOR USTR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD ECON KU WTO SUBJECT: KUWAIT: WTO SERVICES NEGOTIATIONS NOTICE DELIVERED REF: STATE 84188 On April 12, 2003, Ambassador delivered reftel points to Salah Khourshid, Kuwait's Minister of Commerce and Industry, and Bader Abdul-Raheem, Acting Under Secretary for International Trade in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI),notifying the GOK that the U.S. has submitted its initial WTO service offer in Geneva. A copy of the press release from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and the USTR fact sheet was also sent to the office of Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabah, Kuwait's Minister of State and acting Minister of Finance, who is presently traveling outside the country. Minister Khourshid asked Abdul-Raheem to inform Kuwait's WTO official in Geneva that that the USG would be interested in finding a mutually agreeable time for bilateral discussions on the U.S. offer during the next session of WTO services negotiations, May 12-23, in Geneva. JONES