MGLE01: DEMARCHE TO KUWAIT ON SYRIAN WITHDRAWAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000929

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2015
TAGS: PREL KU LE
SUBJECT: MGLE01: DEMARCHE TO KUWAIT ON SYRIAN WITHDRAWAL

REF: SECSTATE 39018

Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for
reasons 1.5 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Ambassador delivered reftel demarche on March 6 to MFA
U/S Khalid Jarallah who was joined by the Foreign Minister's
office director, Shaykh Ahmad Nasser Al-Sabah. (Foreign
Minister was occupied in a cabinet meeting.) Jarallah made
no comment on the U.S. talking points but indicated concerns
about the evolving situation in Lebanon by asking several
questions about the potential for negative actions by
Hizballah, Palestinian refugees, Iran, and of course Syria.
He remarked that he found Bashar al-Assad's references to
Iraq and the U.S. in his March 5 speech to be troubling.


2. (C) Jarallah concluded the discussion by opining that the
greatest threats facing Lebanon were internal and the
immediate future of the country would depend most on how
unified the Lebanese people could remain in the face of
divisive internal forces. Although Lebanese Druze leader
Walid Jumblatt met with the Kuwaiti PM on March 5, Jarallah
offered no comment on Jumblatt's visit.
LEBARON