(C) GUANTANAMO: GOK SEEKS CLEARANCE FOR LAWYER,

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 002152 SIPDIS STATE FOR S/WCI, NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2014 TAGS: PTER KAWC KJUS PREL PHUM PINR KU SUBJECT: (C) GUANTANAMO: GOK SEEKS CLEARANCE FOR LAWYER, ASKS ABOUT MOU; SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT LAUDS SUPREME COURT DECISION REF: KUWAIT 2120 Classified By: AMBASSADOR RICHARD H. JONES; REASON: 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (U) THIS IS REVISED VERSION OF REFTEL, WHICH WAS INADVERTENTLY SENT INCOMPLETE. Action Request - please see paragraph 4. ¶2. (C) Embassy has received two diplomatic notes in Arabic from MFA Coordination and Follow-Up Department, both marked "secret." According to the first (number 20041454 dated July 4, 2004),Mr. Ronald Miller of S/WCI told the Kuwaiti Embassy that the USG is nearly ready to propose to Kuwait an MOU that would govern the transfer of Kuwaiti detainees at Guantanamo to GOK custody. We understand that conversation occurred on June 28. MFA prefers to receive the draft MOU via the US Embassy in Kuwait, and requests an update on status of the draft. ¶3. (C) The second (number 20041455 dated July 4, 2004) states that lawyer Abdul-Rahman al-Haroun, appointed by the families of the Kuwaiti detainees at Guantanamo, is determined to travel to Washington, DC and Guantanamo with the goal of following up on the legal situation of those detainees in light of the US Supreme Court decision. Accordingly, MFA requests that the relevant USG authorities grant Mr. al-Haroun the necessary security clearance (last two words in English). We have faxed Mr. al-Haroun's passport and visa information to NEA/ARP. ¶4. (C) Comment/Action Request: Embassy recommends prompt, positive response to the GOK. Please provide response to both dipnotes that we can convey to MFA. ¶5. (C) In a related conversation on July 6, Speaker of Parliament Jassem al-Khorafi praised the ongoing steps to implement the Supreme Court decision to allow Guantanamo detainees access to legal counsel. Khorafi, who has often criticized the USG on this issue in the past, told the Ambassador that the decision, and the USG's prompt compliance with it, had been well received in Kuwait. He added that America's reputation as a country founded on the rule of law had been restored and strengthened. He urged the U.S. to take maximum advantage of these developments by highlighting them in its public diplomacy efforts in Kuwait and the region. MORAN