UP CLOSE WITH MUQTADA AL-SADR ON THE KUWAITI

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000224 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARPI E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2016 TAGS: PREL PINR IZ KU KUWAIT IRAQ RELATIONS SUBJECT: UP CLOSE WITH MUQTADA AL-SADR ON THE KUWAITI DIWANIYA CIRCUIT Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On January 21, PolOffs attended the diwaniya of a liberal Shia professor who is a close Embassy contact. The professor recounted an interchange he had with radical Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr at the diwaniya of a prominent Kuwaiti Shia real estate and hotel magnate. Al-Sadr had been in Kuwait for several days and had met with the Prime Minister and presumptive Amir, Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmad. At the diwaniya, Al-Sadr launched a scathing harangue about the U.S. presence in Iraq. Al-Sadr said that the U.S. was trying to sow sectarian conflict in Iraq and that the problems in Iraq would disappear if the U.S. withdrew. Our contact noted that Al-Sadr is an ineloquent speaker. ¶2. (C) Our contact asked Al-Sadr why he supported separate Shia political lists if he was so against the purported U.S. effort to divide Iraqis along sectarian lines. He went on to point out that keeping Shia militias alive also contradicted al-Sadr's speech about Iraqi unity. Finally, he asked about the reports that Al-Sadr had been responsible for the killing of pro-Western Shia cleric Abdul Majid Al-Khoei on April 10, ¶2003. ¶3. (C) Reportedly, Al-Sadr became increasingly agitated as our contact spoke. He seemed to lose his composure as he answered, resorting to "thuggish" language. Rather than answering the question, Al-Sadr began calling the professor "habibi" (a colloquial expression that is roughly equivalent to "buddy") and spouting platitudes about how "we" are all in the struggle together against the U.S. At some point during the evening, our contact went to shake Al-Sadr's hand, in order to "look into his eyes" and get a read on him. He characterized Al-Sadr as a "psychopath" and said he was "mental." His eyes were shifting nervously as he avoided direct eye contact. ********************************************* 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 ********************************************* LeBaron