NATO MEMBER COUNTRIES IN KUWAIT OUTLINE PROGRAM

UNCLAS KUWAIT 003091

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

FOR NEA/ARPI AND EUR/RPM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MARR PREL PGOV KU NATO
SUBJECT: NATO MEMBER COUNTRIES IN KUWAIT OUTLINE PROGRAM
FOR NATO-KUWAITI COOPERATION

REF: A. KUWAIT 1450

B. KUWAIT 1175

C. 04 KUWAIT 4369


1. (SBU) Italian Ambassador to Kuwait Vincenzo Prati hosted
July 6 the first meeting of NATO member countries in Kuwait,
providing a general introduction to the Istanbul Cooperation
Initiative (ICI) and explaining the role of NATO Contact
Point Embassies (CPEs). The Italian Embassy is the CPE for
Kuwait. The meeting was largely organizational in nature
with attendees agreeing to meet bi-monthly and identifying
Shaykh Thamer Al-Sabah, Office Manager for National Security
Bureau President Shaykh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, as the
primary GOK contact. As CPE, the Italian Ambassador will
meet in the coming weeks with Foreign and Defense ministries
officials, Members of Parliament, other senior GOK
representatives, the media, NGOs, and think tanks to brief
them on NATO cooperation with Kuwait. He said he would raise
with them the importance of concluding Status of Forces
Agreements (SOFAs) for troop transit of Kuwait and solicit
their views on GCC cooperation with NATO.


2. (SBU) Attendees made several suggestions to improve the
CPE program. The Belgian Ambassador proposed organizing a
committee to maintain regular contact with Kuwaiti
interlocutors. The British DATT recommend briefing GCC
ambassadors in Kuwait on NATO-provided training for Iraqi
security forces such as operating the Military Staff College.
The German Charge called for a NATO familiarization tour of
the GCC. The Turkish Ambassador offered Turkey, as a Muslim
country, as a facilitator in the NATO-GCC dialogue. Post
Charge noted that Kuwaiti interest in NATO activities
exceeded that of neighboring countries, but stressed the
importance of identifying and responding to Kuwaiti wants and
needs such as training in consequence management, border
control, and counterterrorism (refs a and c). He further
commented that an active relationship with Kuwait would
likely spark the interest of other GCC countries in NATO-GCC
cooperation.

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