(U) JORDAN'S KING ABDULLAH VISITS KUWAIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 005183

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/ARN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2013
TAGS: PREL KU IZ JO
SUBJECT: (U) JORDAN'S KING ABDULLAH VISITS KUWAIT


Classified By: CDA Frank C. Urbancic for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (SBU) Summary: Jordan's King Abdullah II paid a brief
visit to Kuwait on November 11, meeting with the Amir, Crown
Prince and PM Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah. During his
two-hour stay, the King discussed the current situation in
Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Jordan's bilateral
relationship with Kuwait. He also took the opportunity to
personally thank the GOK for the fuel Kuwait has supplied
Jordan since March. End Summary.


2. (SBU) Jordanian King Abdullah II used his two-hour
November 11th visit to Kuwait to reaffirm the strong ties
between Kuwait and Jordan, according to the Jordanian Embassy
in Kuwait and local Kuwaiti dailies. During an interview
with Kuwaiti Arabic daily al-Rai al-Aam, the King expressed
his views on the future of US forces in Iraq. "The Americans
are pushing ahead with their project in Iraq. They can't
leave without a strong Iraqi government and authority being
formed, chosen by the Iraqi people," he said. King Abdullah
also predicted that a federal system of government in Iraq
would end in failure, "especially if it were built on a
sectarian and ethnic basis."


3. (C) Calling the King's visit "normal," the Jordanian
Embassy in Kuwait told Poloff that the visit focused on
coordinating the shared policy positions of the GOK and
Jordan vis-a-vis Palestine and Iraq. In addition, the
Embassy confirmed that King Abdullah had extended his thanks
to Kuwait for its provision of fuel throughout Operation
Iraqi Freedom. The Embassy could not confirm if King
Abdullah had requested that Kuwait continue this supply of
fuel.


4. (C) Comment: Jordan enjoys stronger relations with Kuwait
today than at any other time since the first Gulf War.
Despite residual bitterness among many Kuwaitis over Jordan's
support for Saddam Hussein during that conflict, Kuwaiti FM
Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah frequently
consults Jordanian FM Marwan Muasher on matters of shared
concern, and King Abdullah II is personally popular with
Kuwaitis, unlike his late father.
URBANCIC