KUWAITI FOREIGN MINISTER WILL ATTEND U.S.-EU

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 002380 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2015 TAGS: PREL EAID IZ KU EUN KUWAIT IRAQ RELATIONS SUBJECT: KUWAITI FOREIGN MINISTER WILL ATTEND U.S.-EU CONFERENCE ON IRAQ; NUDGE ON ECONOMIC ISSUES REF: A. STATE 93742 ¶B. STATE 78774 ¶C. KUWAIT 2229 ¶D. KUWAIT 1900 Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) Along with his Dutch counterpart (representing EU Presidency) and EU Commission rep (resident in Riyadh), Ambassador met Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs Khalid Al-Jarallah June 1 to confirm Kuwaiti attendance at the Brussels conference on Iraq. Al-Jarallah said that the GOK highly appreciated the U.S. and EU initiative, and that the Foreign Minister would lead the Kuwaiti team. He asked for information on the final participant list and looked forward to seeing the draft communique. The EU rep said that the Small Group was meeting in Cairo and that the EU and U.S. would supply follow-on information. The Dutch Ambassador noted that the focus would be on political support; it would not be a pledging conference. Al-Jarallah noted that there was another ministerial level meeting scheduled in Singapore for the same dates -- some sort of Middle East/Southeast Asia meeting -- but that the Kuwaitis would attend the Brussels meeting. (Note: The EU rep indicated that the EU still plans to issue written invitations, but had not done so yet. Ambassador left behind the conference details found in reftels.) ¶2. (C) While noting the political nature of the June meeting, Ambassador urged that Kuwait add to the political momentum in the run-up to the conference by taking action on some of the pending economic issues. He pushed once again for prompt release of DFI funds being held by Kuwait pending examination of a commercial claim. Al-Jarallah promised to probe the MFA's Legal Department on the matter. Ambassador also told Al-Jarallah that he had been encouraging Kuwaiti ministers and others to reach out to their counterparts in the ITG, including, for example, to the Finance Minister on debt re-scheduling and to the Planning Minister on project implementation. Al-Jarallah pushed back a bit, saying that the Iraqis still have made only preliminary and tentative contacts with the GOK on project aid. (He did not mention any contact on debt re-scheduling.) In response, Ambassador noted USG efforts in Baghdad to foster intra-ITG coordination on donor issues and to encourage prompt engagement with debtors. Ambassador advised Al-Jarallah that Kuwaiti efforts to reach out, even if not always yielding immediate practical results, can send an important signal of continuing political engagement with the ITG, the value of which should not be under-estimated ¶3. (U) Baghdad: Minimize Considered. ********************************************* Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website ********************************************* LEBARON