Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03KUWAIT4840
2003-10-25 07:20:00
SECRET//NOFORN
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:  

TERRORIST FINANCE: OFAC/STATE TEAM MEETS KUWAITI

Tags:  EFIN ECON ETTC PTER PREL KU 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 07 KUWAIT 004840 

SIPDIS

NOFORN

EB/ESC/TFS FOR GGLASS AND NROTHSTEIN; S/CT FOR SFOX; IO/PHO
FOR APEREZ; NSC FOR GPETERS; TREASURY GENERAL COUNSEL
DAUFHAUSER; OFAC DIRECTOR RNEWCOMB; TREASURY JZARATE;
TREASURY TASK FORCE ON TERRORIST FINANCING; PARIS FOR PETER
KUJAWINSKI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2013
TAGS: EFIN ECON ETTC PTER PREL KU
SUBJECT: TERRORIST FINANCE: OFAC/STATE TEAM MEETS KUWAITI
OFFICIALS, CHARITIES

REF: A. KUWAIT 3140 B. KUWAIT 1083

Classified By: AMBASSADOR RICHARD JONES FOR REASONS 1.5(B) and (D)

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 07 KUWAIT 004840

SIPDIS

NOFORN

EB/ESC/TFS FOR GGLASS AND NROTHSTEIN; S/CT FOR SFOX; IO/PHO
FOR APEREZ; NSC FOR GPETERS; TREASURY GENERAL COUNSEL
DAUFHAUSER; OFAC DIRECTOR RNEWCOMB; TREASURY JZARATE;
TREASURY TASK FORCE ON TERRORIST FINANCING; PARIS FOR PETER
KUJAWINSKI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2013
TAGS: EFIN ECON ETTC PTER PREL KU
SUBJECT: TERRORIST FINANCE: OFAC/STATE TEAM MEETS KUWAITI
OFFICIALS, CHARITIES

REF: A. KUWAIT 3140 B. KUWAIT 1083

Classified By: AMBASSADOR RICHARD JONES FOR REASONS 1.5(B) and (D)


1. (S/NF) SUMMARY. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets
Control (OFAC) and a State Department representative met with
Kuwaiti officials 4-5 October to encourage a joint USG-GOK
investigation of suspicious charities, discuss the status of
frozen Iraqi assets, and inform the GOK of money transfers
taken on behalf of Lajnat Al-Dawa Al-Islamiya (LDI) by the
Social Reform Society (SRS) through the Kuwait Finance House
(KFH). Additionally, the team sought an update from the GOK
on anti-terrorist finance efforts in Kuwait. This cable, the
first of two on the visit, reports on terrorist finance
developments. The issue of frozen Iraqi assets will be
reported septel. The delegation (members listed in paragraph
2 below),accompanied by Ambassador, met with the Ministers
of Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Social Affairs and Labor;
the head of the Office of Charitable Oversight and
Supervision in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor; the
Deputy Governor of the Central Bank; and representatives of
local charitable organizations (at the charities' request).
The Deputy Governor of the Central Bank detailed the
regulatory changes that the GOK has implemented to bring
Kuwait in compliance with FATF and USG recommendations (ref
A). The GOK was unaware of the transactions involving LDI
but pledged to investigate them, pending receipt of
additional details from the USG. Officials were mostly
receptive to the idea of joint US-GOK investigations of
charitable organizations. During the meeting with the
charities, the groups' representatives appealed to the
delegation for details on why LDI was designated as a
terrorist organization. The groups were given information

about post-designation LDI transactions, which they could not
explain. When asked about international branches they denied
the existence of all but one, but when OFAC presented
evidence of other branches, the recalled there were more.
The representatives promised to look into the issues raised
during the meeting and to report back. Embassy will continue
to monitor the issues addressed during the visit. We look
forward to receiving additional specific details on the
various USG concerns for further coordination with our
Kuwaiti interlocutors. END SUMMARY


2. (U) Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
and a State Department representative traveled to Kuwait 3-5
October to discuss terrorist finance issues and the status of
frozen Iraqi assets with Kuwaiti officials. This cable, the
first of two on the visit, reports on terrorist finance
developments; the issue of frozen Iraqi assets will be
reported septel. The delegation, led by OFAC Director
Richard Newcomb, included Mark Roberts, Daniel Yorks, and
Jason Beal from OFAC; and Nicole Rothstein from EB/ESC/TFS.
During their stay in Kuwait, the delegation met with the
Ministers of Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Social Affairs and
Labor; the head of the Office of Charitable Oversight and
Supervision in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor; the
Deputy Governor of the Central Bank; and representatives of
local charitable organizations (at the charities' request).
Ambassador Richard Jones accompanied the group during all
government meetings; EconOff attended as notetaker.


3. (S/NF) The delegation encouraged a joint USG-GOK
investigation of suspicious charities (a suggestion first
raised by Kuwait's Minister of Foreign Affairs during
Newcomb's May 2002 visit to Kuwait),discussed the status of
frozen Iraqi assets and informed the GOK of money transfers
taken on behalf of Lajnat Al-Dawa Al-Islamiya (LDI) by the
Social Reform Society (SRS) through the Kuwait Finance House
(KFH). (NOTE. LDI was designated under E.O. 13224 on
January 9, 2003 and by the UN following a request by the
Government of France. END NOTE.).

--------------
(U) CENTRAL BANK
--------------


4. (C) On October 5 the delegation met with Deputy Governor
Dr. Nabeel Ahmed Al-Mannae and his staff at the Central Bank
of Kuwait (CBK). The Deputy briefed the delegation on steps
that the bank has taken to combat money laundering and
terrorist financing. Specifically, he outlined efforts made
to address four key weaknesses that US and Financial Action
Task Force (FATF) teams had previously identified in the
Kuwaiti financial system: (1) the absence of an anti-money
laundering law; (2) the nonexistence of a financial
intelligence unit (FIU); (3) the lack of supervision of
Islamic financial institutions (especially the Kuwait Finance
House, KFH) by a competent state authority; and (4) the
paucity of training for and awareness among concerned parties
about money laundering and terrorist financing (see Ref A for
details).


5. (C) Al-Mannae stressed that the modifications that
Islamic financial institutions have undertaken to bring their
banks into compliance with Islamic law do not confer upon
these institutions the right to conduct practices outside the
scope of regular banking. He also noted that to date, all
Islamic financial institutions -- including Kuwait Finance
House -- have been fully cooperative with CBK freeze orders,
even absent the legal obligation to do so. He noted that
KFH, the key Islamic bank in Kuwait, would be under CBK
regulatory control as of December 2003. Al-Mannae then
outlined the steps that CBK has taken to increase awareness
of money laundering and terrorist financing issues, including
holding extensive meetings with prosecutors (to establish a
investigatory mechanism),conducting training sessions for
financial institutions' staff, and sending speakers to
participate in financial sector and other ministries'
conferences. Al-Mannae said that CBK will sponsor a meeting
in early 2004 (originally scheduled for this month) that will
bring together local bank staff, investment companies,
customs officials, and representatives from other GCC
countries to discuss money laundering and terrorist finance
issues. Finally, CBK has begun briefing the media on new
developments, as they consider the media a key component in
the awareness-raising process.


6. (C) CBK officials also detailed other financial controls
they have implemented. When Kuwait receives a notification
of a new freeze order, the MFA directs the CBK to implement
the freeze order. That order is passed on to all financial
institutions, who must search their records and report their
results within one week. If assets are found, they are
frozen within days of receipt of the order. As an additional
safeguard, CBK will begin on-site examinations to verify that
banks are conducting proper investigations. Al-Mannae said
that Kuwait now has real-time tracking of all international
transfers made through banking institutions, regardless of
amount; these transactions are logged into a computerized
database. While exchange house transfers of less than KD
3000 (about US $10,000) are not currently included, CBK has
"phase two" plans to require that exchange houses report all
transfers in the future.


7. (S/NF) With regard to charitable organizations, the
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor has given CBK a complete
list of all recognized and licensed charities, along with a
list of people authorized to make transfers on the groups,
behalf. These lists have been forwarded to the banks. All
licensed charitable organizations must receive permission
from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor before
transferring money out of Kuwait. According to Al-Mannae,
any charity work undertaken by other groups is a violation of
regulations. The Deputy Governor reported that Kuwaiti
banks have found five possible matches of a designated name;
they have contacted the MFA for additional information to
determine if any of the five matches (he says that this is a
common name). The Kuwaitis also found one LDI account valued
at about KD 1 million ($3.3 million) and instructed all banks
to freeze the assets. (NOTE. Earlier accounts reported in
Ref B indicated that the Kuwaitis had frozen KD 1.4 million,
or approximately $4.6 million. END NOTE.)


8. (S/NF) Newcomb said he was very pleased about the steps
the Kuwaitis had taken on banking laws and asset freezing.
He then presented the following details of the LDI case,
which involves transfers of LDI assets through KFH following
LDI's designation in the US. After the UN designated LDI,
its parent SRS continued to transfer money to the same
recipients through KFH. A US bank reported that KFH made 27
transfers for LDI totaling almost $2 million after LDI was
designated by the USG on January 9, 2003 (NOTE: The
Government of France requested that LDI be designated in the
UN. The US under E.O. 13224 designated LDI on January 9,
2003 and the UN designated LDI a month later on February 20,

2003. END NOTE.). These transfers include $1.1 million in
transfers to an LDI account at the Al-Falah Bank in Peshawar,
Pakistan; five transfers to Mercy International in
Switzerland and transfers to individuals and organizations in
Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand. After the
designation by LDI in the UN on February 20 the Social Reform
Society (SRS),of which LDI is a subsidiary, made transfers
of over $1.2 million to the same recipients, again using KFH.
The Deputy Governor thanked the delegation for its
cooperation in providing this information, and pressed for as
much detail as possible on the transactions. If the
transfers occurred after the designation, he vowed, there
would definitely be a penalty. Newcomb promised to provide
the bank with transaction dates and details. He also
suggested that the two governments might want to consult
after CBK,s investigation, and perhaps make a joint
announcement. Newcomb informed the officials that the
delegation had consulted with the Ministries of Foreign
Affairs, Social Affairs and Labor, and Finance, and agreed to
a joint investigation of foreign affiliates and subsidiaries
of the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS),LDI, SRS
and the International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO).
He also stressed the need for financial and programmatic
controls, proper audits, and personnel controls within
charitable institutions, particularly those with overseas
branches in locations where there is no real ability to carry
out oversight. The Deputy Governor agreed that cooperation
is critical for both sides to investigate properly, and cited
LDI as a case in point. He said that the GOK had had no
previous information that KFH had violated Kuwaiti laws, but
that the information provided by the delegation would allow
the Kuwaitis to investigate.

--------------
(U) MINISTER OF FINANCE
--------------



9. (C) Finance Minister Mahmoud al-Nouri opened by remarking
positively on his meeting with Treasury Secretary Snow in
Dubai during the Arab Finance Ministers, meeting, and on a
separate meeting with Undersecretary for Economic, Business
and Agricultural Affairs Al Larson regarding the Iraq
donors, conference in Madrid. Newcomb congratulated
al-Nouri on his recent appointment as minister, and noted his
satisfaction with the progress made by the GOK in regulating
charities since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack.
Newcomb said that he would like to continue coordinated
efforts between the USG and the GOK, particularly the Office
of Charitable Oversight and Supervision. The Minister was
supportive, adding that most charities in Kuwait have
publicly announced that they will cooperate with the new GOK
rules regulating charities (affirmations he believes are
sincere). To better regulate charitable donations, Al-Nouri
said that the GOK is trying to ensure that those individuals
receiving charitable donations are on a list approved by the
charity's board of directors, to guard against the misuse of
funds.


10. (C) Newcomb then inquired about the efficacy of Law 30,
which placed Islamic financial institutions under the Central
Bank's authority and introduced additional regulatory
safeguards to combat money laundering and terrorist
financing. Al-Nouri credited the law with providing
increased transparency in funds transfers and enhanced
control and supervision over charitable donations. He said
that prior to 2001, many charitable transfers were based on
emotion, with little attention paid to proper record-keeping
or oversight; this, he reports, has now changed. Al-Nouri
assured the delegation that the GOK would comply with all UN
resolutions, and would cooperate with the United States.

--------------
(U) MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
--------------

11. (S/NF) Newcomb opened the meeting by praising Minister
of Foreign Affairs Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Sabah Al-Salim
Al-Sabah's suggestion that the two governments work jointly
in their investigations, a proposal made during Newcomb,s
May 2002 visit (in the context of a RIHS investigation).
Newcomb told the Minister he had high hopes that the two
governments could move forward together. With that, Newcomb
raised the Social Reform Society (SRS) and LDI cases,
outlining the details of the post-designation transactions.
He also suggested that a joint team look into other
organizations like IICO. The Minister replied that GOK's
primary objective is to ensure that funds from charitable
organizations are not being misdirected. He referred the
team to the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor for more
details on the laws put into place that require more
transparency. The Minister added that if these laws are
insufficient, the GOK would welcome suggestions as to how to
improve them, saying that it is in Kuwait's interest to have
these safeguards in place.


12. (S/NF) However, he noted, local charities have been
complaining that countries may allege to the United Nations
that a particular organization supports terrorism without
disclosing the evidence. The charities believe that they are
being more transparent, and wonder why their accusers are not
as well. The Minister said that the GOK does not want
anti-terrorist financing efforts to turn into a witch hunt;
rather, the GOK would like to have substantive information
that can be investigated. Newcomb advised the Minister that
he hoped to send a team with additional information after
Ramadan, to begin an investigation of several charities.
With regard to LDI, Newcomb said that there is concrete
information that must be examined. In his view, this would
be the sort of task that could be carried out jointly. He
also informed the Minister that Treasury would be basing an
employee at the US Embassy in Bahrain who would have regional
responsibility, and would make frequent trips to Kuwait.


13. (C) The Minister asked to what extent the USG was
satisfied with steps the Kuwaitis had taken on banking and
money laundering issues, noting that they had established a
specific unit within the Central Bank to combat money
laundering. Newcomb called the steps Kuwait had taken to
regulate funds generated by charity bazaars "incredibly
important," saying that the regulatory body seems to be doing
what it was chartered to do. (NOTE. The government has begun
cracking down on unauthorized "charity bazaars," where
donations are gathered illicitly. To combat this, and in
anticipation of the month of Ramadan -- traditionally the
time of heaviest charitable giving -- the Ministry of Social
Affairs and Labor is creating inspection teams that will
scrutinize charities throughout the country. END NOTE.)
Newcomb referred to this as an "impressive step" that is
"very important (and) very useful." Shaykh Muhammad sought
Newcomb,s thoughts on the current status of the banking
sector in the Gulf generally. Newcomb said that many
positive steps have been taken, although work remains, citing
hawala transfers and charities as examples.


14. (C) The Minister then suggested that the delegation meet
with some Kuwaiti charities, saying that he had received
several calls from them that day, and that they were eager to
meet with the delegation. Specifically, the charities
wanted to know the reason why LDI was designated as a
terrorist organization; the Minister opined that it would
only be fair to share the USG,s concerns with them directly.

--------------
(U) MINISTRY OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND LABOR
--------------


15. (S/NF) Following their meeting with the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, the delegation spoke with Feisal al-Hajji,
the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, and Mohammad
Al-Kandari, head of the new Office of Charitable Oversight
and Supervision in the Ministry of Social Affairs. Newcomb
raised the LDI case, providing details of the transfers. The
Minister informed Newcomb that LDI is unlicensed and
therefore its activities are illegal. He continued that some
other committees working under the umbrella of SRS have had
their international activities stopped. He stressed that the
GOK is ready to follow up on any transaction made illegally,
but that they need more information. The GOK cannot act by
guessing, he noted; when they have real information, they can
act. Newcomb agreed to provide this information.


16. (C) Newcomb next turned to the issue of RIHS, saying
that the USG would like to work with the GOK to investigate
the activities of several international branches of RIHS, to
see if they are acting properly and, if not, to designate
them or take other appropriate steps. Newcomb suggested a
follow-up trip after Ramadan, in which a US team would work
with GOK authorities to jointly investigate RIHS. Al-Hajji
agreed with this proposal. Al-Kandari then provided an
update on the actions of the Office of Charitable Oversight
and Supervision, which he said is trying to find out how
charitable donations are collected and spent. He noted that
this will take time, but that the GOK would provide the USG
with documents on what had been done in the period leading up
to Ramadan (Al-Kandari provided a spreadsheet in Arabic on
the spot, specifying the number of unlicensed donations
kiosks the Ministry found, on what date, and the
organizations running the kiosks). He said charities not in
compliance with the law are given a warning and 15 days to
rectify the situation. If they do not comply, the Ministry
begins court proceedings against the group. The Ambassador
inquired about collections in mosques during Ramadan,
previously an important source of charitable fundraising.
The Minister answered that this is no longer legal, and that
his colleagues would be monitoring the mosques.


17. (C) Al-Kandari said that his organization is working with
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with Kuwaiti embassies
abroad to supervise spending of charitable funds. Newcomb
asked who is in charge in countries where Kuwait does not
have an embassy. Al-Hajji conceded that it was very
difficult or impossible to prevent all funds from being
transferred for illicit purposes, especially if they are
channeled outside the formal banking system. However, he
repeated that the GOK is ready to look for ways to improve
controls. He noted that it is hard for embassies to carry
out this supervisory function, especially in large countries.
But he said that with the USG,s help and with the
assistance of local authorities, any information provided to
the GOK would be acted upon.


18. (C) Newcomb asked if the GOK would have a problem with
designating branches of Kuwaiti charities which are operating
in countries that the GOK cannot easily control; the Minister
replied with a laugh that that was a tough question. The
Ambassador underscored that that was why it is critical for
the GOK and USG to work with local authorities as well.
Al-Hajji said that personally, he would be happy to work
jointly with a US delegation on investigations, but that the
official GOK position may be different. Yet he repeated that
his main objective was to work together to reach the common
goal. He ended by asking once more that the USG not hesitate
to forward to the GOK any information, and promised to act on
that information.

--------------
(U) MEETING WITH CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS
--------------


19. (C) At the charities' request and the suggestion of the
Minister of Foreign Affairs, the delegation met with
representatives of local charities on October 5. In
attendance were Dr. Nasser Al-Sane from the SRS (NOTE.
Al-Sane is also a member of parliament. END NOTE.),Ahmad
Abdulaziz Muhammad al-Falah from LDI, and Waleed Nijm
Abdullah Mishari Al-Seif from IICO. Acting as spokesman for
the group, Dr. Al-Sane detailed their efforts to obtain
information on the designation of LDI. They had consulted
with GOK officials and with the French Director of
International Organizations in Paris, and asked what they
needed to do to delist LDI. According to Al-Sane, the French
official advised the group to put together information to
demonstrate that LDI is a legitimate organization, and also
to talk to the Americans. Again according to al-Sane, the
French official said that if LDI could convince the Americans
that LDI was not a terrorist organization, the French would
not insist upon the designation.


20. (S/NF) Al-Sane said he took that opportunity to make a
presentation to the French on LDI,s health and other
charitable projects, a copy of which he provided to the
delegation. He contended that LDI is one of the more
credible health and humanitarian organizations operating in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, and that they also organized
education programs to teach Arabic, drilled wells for water,
built bakeries, mosques and hospitals, and supervised the
distribution of meat from religious sacrifice rituals.
Al-Sane noted that he met with Treasury U/S Taylor in
November of 2002, who asked if the organization would work in
Afghanistan to help with the rebuilding process, to which the
organization agreed. To that end, Al-Sane said, they signed
two agreements with the new Afghan government (NOTE. This
was before the organization was designated. END NOTE.).


21. (S/NF) Al-Sane said that they want to trace alleged
misused funds. He expressed frustration that they have not
been provided with any evidence of their misdeeds. For
example, he said that the French informed him that the head
of the LDI office in Pakistan was affiliated with al-Qaida.
However, according to Al-Sane, this man had never been in
charge of the office and had no link with LDI at all.
Further, he was in Qatar during the period that he was
alleged to have been running the LDI office in Pakistan.
Al-Sane said the French alleged that LDI has offices in
Burkina Faso, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and
Somalia. Yet he asserted that they only have offices in
Pakistan and Kuwait.


22. (S/NF) Newcomb asked if there are other groups called
LDI, which Al-Sane confirmed, saying that it is a widely used
name. He stressed although they may have similar names,
these are not necessarily the same organization. Newcomb
then asked if their activities had stopped completely, which
Al-Sane confirmed. Newcomb presented them with the evidence
on LDI's post-designation transfers as well as the
transactions undertaken by SRS that were sent to previous LDI
recipients. Al-Sane agreed that they needed to check them
out, as this was the first time they had heard of the
transactions. The LDI representative said that the transfers
may have gone to activities that were already underway before
the designation, so that the projects could be completed.


23. (S/NF) Newcomb asked directly if LDI had any offices
other than the ones in Pakistan and Kuwait, specifically in
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, or Jordan.
Contradicting Al-Sane's earlier assertion that there were
only LDI branches in Pakistan and Kuwait, the LDI
representative said that they do have an office in Russia.
Newcomb commented that there seemed to be confusion about
exactly where the offices were, which Al-Sane conceded.
Al-Sane said that they would provide information on the
locations of all LDI offices and asked for more information
on the post-designation transactions, which Newcomb agreed to
provide. Newcomb reiterated that he needed a full accounting
of LDI activities, for the group to put everything on the
table; Al-Sane said that the group wanted the same thing.


24. (S/NF) Newcomb asked if LDI is a subsidiary of SRS;
Al-Sane said that yes, LDI is licensed by SRS. Newcomb noted
that because of this relationship, SRS is implicated as well
by LDI,s actions. Newcomb then asked if there were ties
between SRS and IICO. The IICO representative said his
organization did not have a relationship with SRS; however,
the two groups have a director in common. Newcomb stressed
that it is important to show the nature and breadth of the
organizations, their methods of oversight, their means of
hiring personnel, how they are monitored by the GOK and the
like. Al-Sane said that the local branches hire their own
staff and supervise the local projects themselves, and that
the organization employs Ernst and Young to audit their
books, which is a guarantor that the funds are going to the
proper people. (NOTE. As reported in Ref B, the Foreign
Minister previously indicated to Ambassador that LDI's US
auditor was Baker and McKenzie. END NOTE.) Newcomb pointed
out that the auditors can only audit what information they
have.

25. (S/NF) Al-Sane told the delegation that the charities
have no problem with additional auditing, but that they need
evidence of what they have done wrong. Al-Sane said he
believes that the USG's goal is to combat terrorism, not to
stop humanitarian efforts. According to him, if 99% of
funding is going to humanitarian programs and only 1% to
improper ends, then the USG should seek to stop the 1% rather
than the 99%. Newcomb responded that the USG does not
differentiate in this manner, and that if even 1% is going to
fund terrorism, the whole organization is considered a
supporter of terrorism. Al-Sane closed by sincerely thanking
the delegation, saying that this was the first information
they had received on LDI,s transgressions. He promised to
provide additional data on the location of LDI branches
outside Kuwait and on the post-designation transfers.


26. (C) COMMENT. As reported by the GOK interlocutors, the
Kuwaitis have implemented several important regulatory
changes to combat money laundering and terrorist financing,
and to bring them in compliance with FATF and US
recommendations. The steps that the new charitable oversight
and supervision body is taking -- particularly in advance of
Ramadan -- are notable, not only because they improve the
GOK's control over donations, but because they are so
politically sensitive. Cracking down on unauthorized charity
kiosks and putting an end to charitable collections in the
mosques carries a certain amount of risk at a time when
Islamists are increasing their power in Kuwait. Yet the
GOK's willingness to incur this risk demonstrates the degree
to which it takes fighting terrorist financing seriously.
The meeting with the charities was productive, although their
inconsistency concerning the locations of LDI offices outside
Kuwait tends to undermine their credibility. Their plea for
more information was consistent with that of GOK officials,
all of whom stressed the need for concrete details on
allegations of illegal activities. Embassy will continue to
monitor the issues addressed by the delegation. We look
forward to receiving additional specific details on the
various USG concerns for further coordination with our
Kuwaiti interlocutors. END COMMENT.


27. (U) The delegation cleared this message after their
departure.
JONES