BORDER ISSUE STILL FRONT PAGE NEWS AS KUWAIT WAITS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 004728

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, LONDON FOR TSOU, US/UN FOR LAPENN,
BAGHDAD FOR PILZ, BASRAH FOR ERICKSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2015
TAGS: PBTS PREL PGOV IZ KU UN
SUBJECT: BORDER ISSUE STILL FRONT PAGE NEWS AS KUWAIT WAITS
FOR UN TO VISIT

REF: A. KUWAIT 4380

B. KUWAIT 3396

C. BASRAH 129

Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reason 1.4 (b)


1. (U) Recent press articles on the border issue
highlighting Iraqi Transitional Government (ITG) statements
continue to make front page news in the Kuwaiti Arabic
language press. Local Arabic dailies Al-Qabas and Al-Watan
carried front page articles on November 8 discussing the
ITG's decision to postpone a delegation visit to Kuwait to
discuss the border demarcation, with both papers focusing on
apparent contradictory statements within the ITG. Al-Watan
reported that a source within the Iraqi Ministry of the
Interior said that the discussions may provoke "rioting and
demonstrations in the city of Basrah" since its inhabitants
reject the demarcation process. Also mentioned in the
articles is the possibility of a visit from the United
Nations to review the situation and ITG spokesman Laith
Kubbah's statement that "there is a dispute over confirmation
of some of the border points." November 9 editorials in both
Arabic and English press continued the discussions with calls
for caution in dealing with the ITG on this issue.


2. (C) Although GOK ministers have repeatedly and firmly
stated that the border issue is resolved, members of
Parliament have recently made statements ranging from cordial
to vitriolic about the state of affairs along the border.
Waleed Al-Tabtabaei, a Salafi Islamist and three-time member
of Parliament, called for the GOK to stop "giving" to the ITG
without receiving anything in return while MP Mohammed
Al-Khalifa, a conservative pro-Government member, asked the
GOK to "stop the procedures for opening the Iraqi Embassy" in
Kuwait and to cease aid to Iraq, in response to reports that
the ITG is delaying the border delegation's visit. Other MPs
asked for ITG clarification on Kubbah's statements as well as
the Ministry of Interior's position on the subject.


3. (C) On a related matter, in mid-October Post provided a
copy of the satellite imagery requested by the UN to both UN
Cartographer Vladimir Bessarabov and Foreign Minister Shaykh
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. Post understands
that a UN delegation visit to the border may be delayed until
after the December 15 elections in Iraq.

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