MEETING IN KUWAIT OF G8 COUNTER TERRORISM ACTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 004356 SIPDIS STATE FOR S/CT, NEA/ARPI, LONDON FOR TSOU E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2015 TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV KU SUBJECT: MEETING IN KUWAIT OF G8 COUNTER TERRORISM ACTION GROUP Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b),(c),and (d) ¶1. (C) As current G-8 President, the UK Embassy in Kuwait hosted and chaired a meeting of the G-8 Counter Terrorism Action Group (CTAG) on October 10. Ambassador LeBaron attended along with other representatives of G-8 diplomatic missions. British Charge d'Affaires Jamie Bowden gave a G-8 Presidency overview of the current security situation as well as a Counter Terrorism (CT) assessment of Kuwait. The embassies of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, and Switzerland were all represented by their Ambassadors or Deputy Chiefs of Mission. ¶2. (C) The purpose of the meeting was to collectively review current CT programs offered to the Kuwaitis by members of the G-8 and to identify and address any gaps in the training curriculum. Some attendees, including the Ambassador, the Italian Ambassador, the German DCM, and the French DCM, gave brief outlines of bilateral CT programs with Kuwait. The British CDA noted concerns about the lack of effective CT coordination among ministries, substandard forensics of Kuwaiti police, and lenient sentences by the courts in cases involving terrorists. He noted that the GOK was "open" to suggestions and "got the message" that terrorists were on their soil after clashes with extremists in January 2005. ¶3. (C) The meeting then shifted focus to terrorist financing and Ambassador LeBaron briefed the group on steps being taken by the GOK, including drafting a new anti-money laundering bill aimed at criminalizing terrorist financiers and increasing intelligence sharing among financial institutions. The Ambassador also briefed on past and planned ATA sponsored training. The meeting ended with an agreement to pass the programs list and suggestions back to CTAG London, which will produce an overview of the GCC's CT training situation based on the reports received. LEBARON