KUWAIT SENDS IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ BRIDGE

UNCLAS KUWAIT 003948 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL IZ KU KUWAIT IRAQ RELATIONS SUBJECT: KUWAIT SENDS IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ BRIDGE STAMPEDE VICTIMS ¶1. (SBU) The GOK responded immediately to the August 31 Bridge of the Imams stampede in Baghdad, by sending a fully equipped ambulance and 500 first aid kits to Iraq the next day. On September 3, the aid continued as six truck loads carrying twelve tons of medical supplies began driving north. Acting Health Minister, Ahmed Abdullah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, directed by Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and with assistance from the Kuwait Red Crescent Society, had both shipments delivered to the Iraq Red Crescent Society in Safwan, a border town, by September ¶3. In addition, on September 4, the Council of Ministers authorized $10 million dollars in aid, half to the Iraqi government and half to the families of the victims of the stampede. The money for the families will be sent to the Iraq Red Crescent Society for disbursement. ¶2. (SBU) The immediate response from Kuwait counters local press reports that state Iraqi Shi'a are disappointed by the "silence" of Arab countries to the stampede tragedy, which left close to a thousand dead. According to Al Seyassah and Al-Rai Al-Am newspapers, members of the Iraq National Assembly spoke openly about the "Arab silence" since the tragedy, expressing frustration at the lack of offers for assistance. ********************************************* 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