KUWAITI MFA SAYS GOK WILL NOT ENFORCE BAN ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 003262

SIPDIS

MANILA FOR PAUL O'FRIEL
NEW DELHI FOR LAUREN HOLT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2014
TAGS: ELAB PBTS MOPS KU IZ
SUBJECT: KUWAITI MFA SAYS GOK WILL NOT ENFORCE BAN ON
FOREIGN NATIONALS ENTERING IRAQ

REF: KUWAIT 3033 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reason 1.5 (b) and (d)


1. (C) During introductory meeting with MFA Chief of Protocol
Walid al-Khubaizi on September 20, Khubaizi told Ambassador
LeBaron that he would be meeting later that day with the
Indian and Filipino Ambassadors and via conference call with
the Nepali Ambassador resident in Riyadh. On instruction
from the Foreign Minister, he would tell them that it was not
the responsibility of the GOK to enforce their travel bans to
Iraq. Khubaizi said that the GOK decision in August to
enforce the bans had been made while several senior officials
were out of country. Now GOK ministers viewed the decision
to have Kuwaiti border officials stop Indian and Filipino
workers and drivers from entering Iraq to have been "a
mistake." (He alluded to pressure from Kuwaiti companies who
were being hurt by the ban.) Walking the decision back was
problematic, but Khubaizi would start by telling the Indian
and Filipino Ambassadors that they should work with Iraqi
officials and with the U.S. military regarding security
concerns in Iraq, but that Kuwait would not stop third
country nationals from entering Iraq.


2. (C) Comment: The GOK action will complement the
approaches we have made in various capitals to re-visit their
Iraq travel bans. It may in some instances allow distressed
contractors to move towards more normal work schedules and
alleviate the mounting logistical problems created by the
travel bans. However, it is not a clear fix to the problems
created by the travel bans. The governments in question may
have other means of dissuading their expatriate nationals
from traveling to Iraq and can certainly enforce the ban on
workers recruited directed from home countries. We will
continue to make the point to their Embassies here that all
reasonable security measures are taken to protect
third-country nationals employed directly or indirectly by
the U.S. military and that vital contract support for the
mission in Iraq is negatively affected by the travel ban.
End comment.


3. (U) Baghdad minimize considered.
LeBaron