GOK CONFIRMS TO PSI COFOUNDERS ATTENDANCE AT JUNE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 001914 SIPDIS SIPDIS NOFORN FOR NEA/ARP, T, AND ISN/CPI E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/23/2016 TAGS: PARM PREL PGOV KU SUBJECT: GOK CONFIRMS TO PSI COFOUNDERS ATTENDANCE AT JUNE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING REF: A. KUWAIT 1742 ¶B. KUWAIT 1614 Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) During a May 24 meeting with Ministry of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Khaled Al-Jarallah, the Ambassador again encouraged Kuwait to transmit the GOK's formal response endorsing the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). Al-Jarallah restated GOK political support for the initiative and said the embassy should receive notification from the MFA Legal and Americas' departments in the coming week. The Ambassador reminded Al-Jarallah of the June high-level meeting in Warsaw and encouraged GOK participation. (Note: Despite interest, it appears that the GOK did not send a delegation to the May 24 - 26 Anatolian Sun exercise in Turkey. End note.) ¶2. (C) Upon the Ambassador's departure, the ambassadors of Australia, France, and Poland were waiting to meet with Al-Jarallah to deliver as PSI cofounders a joint demarche encouraging the GOK to endorse the PSI and attend the June meeting in Poland (ref B). We were later advised that Al-Jarallah informed the group that if he could not participate, the GOK would send an official from the Ministry of Defense or the National Security Bureau. Al-Jarallah concentrated his remarks on the Warsaw meeting, which he described as timely and important in light of Iran's nuclear activities. Agreement to participate in the activity implied to the visiting ambassadors agreement in principle to adhere to the PSI. ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * LEBARON