(C) LAJNAT AD-DA'AWA AL-ISLAMIYA (LDI)

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000958

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EB/ESC/ESP, S/CT, IO/PHO, NEA/ARP, IO/UNP
TREASURY FOR OFAC:RNEWCOMB
TREASURY FOR GENERAL COUNSEL AUFHAUSER
TREASURY FOR TASK FORCE ON TERRORIST FINANCING
NSC FOR PETERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2013
TAGS: EFIN PTER ETTC PREL KU
SUBJECT: (C) LAJNAT AD-DA'AWA AL-ISLAMIYA (LDI)

REF: A. STATE 51355

B. KUWAIT 921 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: AMBASSADOR RICHARD H. JONES; REASON 1.5 (D)


1. (SBU) Leaders of Kuwait's Islamic Constitutional Movement
(ICM - the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood here) paid
separate calls on the French and US Ambassadors March 16 to
appeal against the asset freeze imposed on the ICM-affiliated
charity Lajnat ad-Da'awa al-Islamiya (LDI - reftels). They
stressed that LDI is a reputable organization that has been
active for several years, and that many of the accusations
levelled against it contained factual errors or were years
out of date. They avowed total opposition to terrorism and
commitment to do all in their power to prevent funds from
being diverted to terrorist causes, including the use of
international auditors, but insisted they have seen no reason
to believe LDI was guilty of funding terrorism. On the
contrary, they claimed, LDI is an organization that does its
own work rather than sub-contracting it out, and has such a
good reputation that UNSYG Kofi Annan himself recently
visited one of its activities. Not only the UN worked with
the LDI in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but a French
organization channeled project funding through LDI. Now,
some 1.4 million Kuwaiti Dinars (over $4.5 million) of LDI
funds are frozen, cutting off aid to thousands of orphans who
depend on LDI.


2. (SBU) The ICM leaders (Chairman Issa al-Shaheen, MP Dr.
Nasser al-Sane, and Abdul-Latif al-Hajeri) understand that
they will have to work with their government and follow UN
procedures in seeking to have LDI de-listed by the UN 1267
Committee. They also understand that some of the evidence
against LDI cannot be made public. The core of their appeal
is: either show specific wrongdoing so we can take action
to prevent recurrence, or unfreeze it. Without making any
promises for action, the Ambassador said we would be happy to
look at any information ICM wished to share regarding LDI,
and noted that if Dr. Sane travels to Washington in the near
future as he hopes to do, he might want to consider trying to
discuss the matter with OFAC.

JONES