FINANCE MINISTRY ON EARTHQUAKE ASSISTANCE TO

UNCLAS KUWAIT 004535 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARPI SWALKER, SA/FO FOR JGASTRIGHT, ISLAMABAD FOR TWILDER, LONDON FOR LTSOU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AEMR EAID PGOV PREL XD KU SUBJECT: FINANCE MINISTRY ON EARTHQUAKE ASSISTANCE TO PAKISTAN AND THE NEW FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE REF: A. SECSTATE 189774 ¶B. KUWAIT 4398 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. In an October 22 meeting with Econ Counselor, the Acting Undersecretary at the Ministry of Finance confirmed the GOK $100M assistance offer for Pakistan's earthquake victims. He was unaware of any additional assistance to be announced at the upcoming October 26 Geneva donors conference. The Undersecretary also welcomed the establishment of the Foundation for the Future and indicated that the GOK would be attending the November 11-12 Forum for the Future in Bahrain. End Summary ¶2. (SBU) On October 22, Econcouns, accompanied by Econoff, met with, Mustafa Al-Shamali, Acting Undersecretary at the Ministry of Finance, to request an update on GOK assistance to earthquake victims in Pakistan and inform the Ministry about the proposed Foundation for the Future (FFF) initiative. ¶3. (SBU) On earthquake assistance, Econcouns thanked the GOK for its timely assistance offer and urged continued support to earthquake victims, particularly in anticipation of the coming winter's consequences for the affected areas. Al-Shamali confirmed that the $100M decreed by the Council of Ministers (cabinet) would be disbursed equally through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) and the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS). He added that the $50M KRCS portion would be transferred to the Red Crescent "today or tomorrow" and KFAED would disburse its funds through concessional loans intended for infrastructure development. Al-Shamali was unaware of any additional pledges the GOK might announce at the upcoming October 26 Geneva donors conference. ¶4. (SBU) Econoffs briefed Al-Shamali on the upcoming Forum for the Future and the planned establishment of the Foundation for the Future (ref A) intended to strengthen civil society in the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA). Econcouns provided Al-Shamali with a copy of a non-paper based on reftel A points. Al-Shamali welcomed the proposed FFF and noted that the GOK had attended the previous BMENA meetings in Rabat and would likely attend the upcoming Forum for the Future in Bahrain. ********************************************* 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