IRAQ: KUWAIT TO HOST THIRD "NEIGHBORING

UNCLAS KUWAIT 000126 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/NGA, NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL IZ KU SUBJECT: IRAQ: KUWAIT TO HOST THIRD "NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES" MEETING EARLY FEBRUARY ¶1. Kuwait is due to host the third meeting of the "neighboring countries" of Iraq, shortly after Eid al-Adha which ends February 3. The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC), presumably represented by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zeibari, will be invited. Bahrain will attend in its capacity as Chair of the Arab League. (Kuwait, as it happens, is the new Chair of the GCC.) ¶2. The GOK has been an ardent champion of the IGC since its inception, and can be expected to use this opportunity to bolster support for the Iraqi political transition process. ¶3. Baghdad minimize considered. URBANCIC