KUWAIT DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON NEXT STEPS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 004902 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARPI AND NEA/PI E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/26/2006 TAGS: PREL KDEM EAID ECON KMPI KU SUBJECT: KUWAIT DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON NEXT STEPS ON FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE; STRATEGIC INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO DISCUSSED REF: A. STATE 212974 ¶B. STATE 207250 (NOTAL) Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) During a November 27 meeting with Ministry of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Khaled Al-Jarallah, the Ambassador referred to the November 12 Forum of the Future meeting in Bahrain and strongly urged Kuwait to join fellow Gulf states Qatar and Bahrain and become a founding member of the Foundation for the Future. He stressed the importance of regional leadership for the Foundation and said Kuwait's history of openness and transparency would be an asset to the Foundation's board. He encouraged the GOK to act immediately so that it could participate in the December meeting in Jordan. Responding to Al-Jarallah's question about concerns voiced in Manama regarding the funding of NGOs, the Ambassador suggested that the matter could be better addressed in context by the new Foundation rather than be debated theoretically. Al-Jarallah noted the minimum contribution required for board membership, as well as the contributions of the U.S. and other Arab states. He welcomed ref A points and said that MFA International Organizations Department Director Ambassador Abdullah Al-Murad was the point of contact for Forum issues. Post will follow up with Al-Murad. ¶2. (C) The Ambassador also raised the Secretary's November 12 meeting on the margins of the Forum for the Future with the Foreign Ministers of Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates on establishing an investment portfolio for development assistance to needy countries in the region (ref B). The Ambassador emphasized the need to think broadly about responding in a unified, structured manner to those in need and said the U.S. hoped to send an inter-agency team to Kuwait for more comprehensive discussions. ********************************************* 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 ********************************************* TUELLER