(C) FOREIGN MINISTER URGES RESOLUTION OF AIK FUEL

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000922 SIPDIS STATE FOR PM, NEA/ARP, NEA/REA, NEA/NGA CPA BAGHDAD FOR AMBASSADOR RICHARD H. JONES E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2014 TAGS: PREL EAID MARR MOPS KU IZ SUBJECT: (C) FOREIGN MINISTER URGES RESOLUTION OF AIK FUEL ISSUE REF: A. KUWAIT 00390 ¶B. KUWAIT 00379 ¶C. KUWAIT 00368 ¶D. KUWAIT 00243 ¶E. KUWAIT 00127 ¶F. SECTO 00042 Classified By: CDA Frank C. Urbancic, reason 1.4(b,d). 1.(U) This is an action message; please see para 5. 2.(C) Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah summoned the Charge d'Affaires to an urgent meeting after official Kuwaiti business hours March 21 at the request of Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the Council of Ministers to try to reach an understanding on the AIK fuel issue. Dr. Mohammed told the Charge that the GOK is under tremendous pressure from the National Assembly and Auditor's Bureau to justify the continued unlimited AIK fuel supplies the GOK provides free of charge to U.S. and Coalition forces in Iraq, "especially now that major hostilities have been declared over." He added that the National Assembly's recent "grilling" of Finance Minister Mahmoud Al-Nouri has aggravated the situation and that the GOK needs USG support on the fuel issue in order to prevent a worsening of relations with Parliament. (Note: Al-Nouri faces a possible no-confidence vote tomorrow, March 22, in the National Assembly. End Note). Dr. Mohammed stressed that other Gulf countries were not sharing in the Iraq support effort and that the GOK does not want to be "burdened" with the entire fuel cost indefinitely. He hoped that some "burden-sharing" arrangement could be found to suit both sides and help the GOK defend politically its continued AIK support for post-war Iraqi reconstruction. 3.(C) Charge told Dr. Mohammed that GOK assistance in the form of AIK fuel is indispensable for the post-war reconstruction and development effort in Iraq, and that the USG appreciates GOK contributions to date. He stressed the importance of reaching an acceptable agreement with the GOK that would enable Kuwait to continue to provide AIK fuel supplies at the level outlined in January by Assistant Secretary for Political Military Affairs Lincoln Bloomfield SIPDIS Jr. during his visit to Kuwait (i.e., 458 million gallons in 2004). 4.(C) Dr. Mohammed said he hoped the issue could be discussed in detail before the March 30-31 Joint Military Commission (JMC) and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah's upcoming visit to Washington. He said an advance team will be traveling to Washington prior to the Minister of Defense's visit. Charge said the Foreign Minister's message that it wanted an "agreement" or "contract" that the GOK could present to the National Assembly in order to ensure parliamentary support for continued AIK fuel assistance was clear. Charge suggested that both sides establish technical committees and convene a meeting to discuss the issue before Sheikh Jaber's visit later this month. 5.(C) Action Request: That the Department establish a group empowered to speak with authority on U.S. requests to follow up on the Bloomfield presentation with the Kuwaiti technical committee in Washington before the JMC. 6.(U) Baghdad minimize considered. URBANCIC