ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT TOWNSEND'S DECEMBER 2

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001810

SIPDIS

WHITE HOUSE FOR APHSCT TOWNSEND

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2015
TAGS: PREL PTER ASEC PARM PGOV KISL BA KU REGION OFFICIALS CTR
SUBJECT: ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT TOWNSEND'S DECEMBER 2
MEETING WITH KUWAITI SECURITY BUREAU PRESIDENT SHAIKH SABAH

Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Assistant to the President for Homeland
Security and Counter-Terrorism (APHSCT) Frances Fragos
Townsend met with Kuwaiti National Security Bureau President
Shaikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah December 2 on the margins of the
IISS Gulf Security Dialogue conference in Manama. Shaikh
Sabah expressed optimism about the involvement of Sunnis in
the political process in Iraq, saying that both Saudi Arabia
and Kuwait will have an opportunity to encourage the visiting
Iraqi Sunni leadership in face-to-face meetings in the coming
week. However, he voiced dismay with the new leadership in
Iran, noting that progress on bilateral issues such as
off-shore oil and gas had stagnated. He expressed Kuwait's
concern about radicalized Kuwaiti youth receiving terrorist
training in other countries and then returning home.
Kuwait's advice to Syria has been to cooperate fully in the
Mehlis investigation. He declared Kuwait's support for the
Amman Declaration to be discussed at the upcoming
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) gathering in
Mecca. End Summary.

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Elections in Iraq
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2. (C) In a December 2 meeting with Kuwaiti Security Bureau
President Shaikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah, APHSCT Townsend
expressed USG appreciation for Kuwaiti efforts to reach out
to Iraqi Sunni leaders to encourage participation in the
December 15 Iraqi elections. Shaikh Sabah said that Saudi
cooperation with Kuwait in encouraging Iraqi Sunni
involvement has improved, as has direct communication with
Iraqi Sunnis. Previously the Sunni leadership had been
reluctant to talk with Kuwait directly and had only spoken
through intermediaries. In the coming week, however, the
Iraqi Sunni leadership will be traveling first to Saudi
Arabia and then to Kuwait for direct consultations.

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Back to Square One with Iran
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3. (C) Shaikh Sabah voiced Kuwaiti frustration with the new
leadership in Iran. In the past four months, the Kuwaiti
leadership met twice with Iranian President Ahmadinejad and
with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohaki four times. There has
been much talk, but only empty promises resulting in no
bilateral progress between the two nations. They had begun
discussions over disputed off-shore gas and oil reserves, but
progress has stopped. Due to its proximity to Iran, Kuwait
is concerned about Iran's nuclear ambitions and has expressed
this concern to Iran. The Iranian response was that they had
hired a Russian expert to oversee the Bushehr plant
operations. Shaikh Sabah said that Kuwait was not comforted
by this fact given the Russian experience at Chernobyl.


4. (C) APHSCT Townsend expressed concern that Iran is
allowing al-Qaeda recruits' passage through Iran. Other
nations, including Saudi Arabia, have tried to broach the
subject with Iran, to no avail. Shaikh Sabah said that there
are many al-Qaeda operatives in Iran moving freely and even
assisted by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. He
expressed Kuwait's concern about its own citizens traveling
to neighboring countries to receive training in weapons and
explosives, using this training in Iraq, and then returning
to Kuwait to spread radicalism. The government knows of
dozens of individuals, some of whom are in detention in
Syria, and it expects the number to grow. Kuwait's requests
for information about those detained in Syria have gone
unanswered.


5. (C) Regarding the movement of money to fund terrorism,
APHSCT Townsend said that Gulf countries must cooperate on
the development of a strong law. The U.S. was encouraged by
Saudi Arabia's recent move to lower the acceptable limits on
money flowing in and out of the country, even though the move
will likely be unpopular. Shaikh Sabah said Kuwait has been
working on legislation, but that it still needs more work.
Kuwait has taken technological precautions such as x-ray
systems to monitor packages entering and exiting the country.
These efforts notwithstanding, terrorists are adjusting; a
pattern is emerging of individuals carrying smaller amounts
of cash and passing it to others by hand.

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Syria's Plea for Help
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6. (C) Shaikh Sabah related that Syrian President Bashar
al-Asad requested assistance from Kuwait in its dilemma over
the Mehlis investigation into the assassination of former
Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Kuwait's response was that
the only acceptable action was to cooperate fully with the
investigation. Kuwait has domestic concerns about a possible
Syrian role in the assassination because of the potential
reaction from the 90,000 Syrians resident in Kuwait. Shaikh
Sabah said that al-Asad had promised cooperation with the
investigation, but then made conflicting statements in the
press. Kuwait is concerned about al-Asad's capability to
lead and whether he can out-maneuver the old guard around
him. APHSCT Townsend stressed the USG position that
isolating al-Asad from friends and neighbors will be most
effective. (Note: Shaikh Sabah deflected the suggestion,
appearing reluctant to commit to this strategy. End note.)

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Mecca OIC Meeting an Historic Opportunity
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7. (C) APHSCT Townsend encouraged Kuwait to fully support
the Amman Declaration at the December 7-8 meeting of the OIC
hosted by Saudi Arabia in Mecca. Shaikh Sabah said that
Kuwait is fully supportive and that tolerance is a key part
of Kuwaiti policy and strategy to combat extremism. Kuwait
has been working for a year to establish a center for
mediation which Kuwait envisions as partly a training center
for clerics, and partly a clearinghouse for information,
including development of a database of Arabic terms used by
terrorists to communicate with one another. Shaikh Sabah
expressed an urgency to have today's youth educated properly
so that their hearts and minds are not corrupted.


8. (U) APHSCT Townsend cleared this message.

MONROE