TOP IRAQI OFFICIALS REAFFIRM CLOSE IRAQ-KUWAIT

UNCLAS KUWAIT 004333

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PBTS IZ KU KUWAIT IRAQ RELATIONS
SUBJECT: TOP IRAQI OFFICIALS REAFFIRM CLOSE IRAQ-KUWAIT
RELATIONS; STRESS BORDER ISSUE SETTLED BY UN

REF: A. KUWAIT 3949

B. KUWAIT 3851 (AND PREVIOUS)


1. (U) On arriving in Kuwait October 1 for a four-day visit,
Iraq's Speaker of Parliament Hajem Al-Hasani reaffirmed
Iraq's close relationship with Kuwait and stressed that "the
period of tension" between the two countries was over.
Al-Hasani's trip was the first visit of an Iraqi Speaker of
Parliament to Kuwait in more than 20 years. Al-Hasani also
highlighted Kuwait's role in supporting the Iraqi political
process and thanked the Kuwaiti people for their "big help"
in providing aid to Iraq. Downplaying recent disturbances
along the Kuwait-Iraq border, Al-Hasani claimed the problems
were caused by "parties who aimed to harm the distinguished
bilateral relations between the neighboring states," Kuwait
News Agency reported (KUNA). Al-Hasani met with Prime
Minister Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, First
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Shaykh Nawaf
Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, National Assembly Speaker Jassem
Al-Khorafi, and other government officials.


2. (U) Al-Khorafi conveyed Kuwaiti concerns that
sectarianism in Iraq could spill over into Kuwait in an
October 4 meeting with Al-Hasani, local media reported.
Al-Khorafi accepted Al-Hasani's invitation to visit Baghdad,
though he qualified his acceptance, saying he would visit
when the "situation in Iraq calmed down."


3. (U) In an October 2 interview with KUNA, Iraqi Foreign
Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Iraq "has begun taking steps" to
appoint an Ambassador to Kuwait and has already provided the
GOK with a list of embassy personnel. Zebari also reiterated
Iraq's respect for the Kuwait-Iraq border as demarcated by
United Nations Security Council Resolution 833 in 1993, and
confirmed reports that the two governments have agreed to
establish a joint committee to oversee border issues (ref. A
and B). Zebari concluded the interview by urging Arab states
to take a more active role in stabilizing Iraq, warning that
violence in Iraq could spill over into neighboring countries
if "decisive action is not taken."

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