(S) COALITION FUEL SUPPLIES FROM KUWAIT OK FOR TWO

S E C R E T KUWAIT 000130

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/NGA
CPA FOR AMBASSADOR RICHARD JONES

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/11/2014
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS IZ KU
SUBJECT: (S) COALITION FUEL SUPPLIES FROM KUWAIT OK FOR TWO
WEEKS; GOK REQUESTS NEGOTIATION TEAM QUICKLY

REF: A. KUWAIT 127

B. STATE 4882

Classified By: (U) CDA FRANK URBANCIC, REASON: 1.4 (B, D)


1. (U) This is an action request. See paragraph 3.


2. (S) At the instruction of Kuwaiti Foreign Minister,
Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Al Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah, who was in
Yemen, MFA U/S Khaled Salman Al Jarallah called Charge
January 11, 2004, to reply to Charge's January 10 demarche
(reftel A) and to confirm that the GOK will not cut off fuel
supplies for American aviation now. Al Jarallah stipulated,
however, that this commitment was good for only two more
weeks. He asked the USG to put together a team to come to
Kuwait within the two weeks to strike a new deal with the GOK
in how future fuel supplies for coalition forces will be
handled.


3. (S) COMMENT: From intonation and body language in
discussions on the topic over the last week, we infer that
the GOK has concluded that the end of major hostilities in
Iraq has brought us to a new stage in Kuwaiti support for US
operations in Iraq. The primary interest we detect in
Kuwaiti comments is in how the fuel will be paid for in the
future. Embassy believes that the interagency US team which
comes to Kuwait to discuss future supplies should be as
broad-based as possible and empowered to engage the GOK
across the board on the future of the strategic alliance.
The more specific we can be with the Kuwaitis on how we see
the military relationship developing in the future, the more
flexibile we believe the Kuwaitis will be on making
significant new commitments for aid-in-kind fuel for Iraqi
operations.


4. (U) Baghdad minimize considered.
URBANCIC