MFA READ OUT OF PM SINIORA AND PRESIDENT ABBAS'

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 003937 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/02/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL EFIN KPAL LE KU SUBJECT: MFA READ OUT OF PM SINIORA AND PRESIDENT ABBAS' VISITS TO KUWAIT REF: KUWAIT 3309 Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C/NF) Summary: In an October 2 meeting with PolChief, the Director of the Arab World Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jassem Al-Mubaraki, provided a read out on the recent visits of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Kuwait. Al-Mubaraki said both had come to thank Kuwait for its support and ask for additional assistance, which the Amir promised to provide. The Director said PM Siniora was in "a very difficult situation" domestically and had specifically asked for more political support. The "main topic" in Abbas' meeting with the Amir was the formation of a Palestinian national unity government and how Kuwait could assist in this process, something Al-Mubaraki said would be "very difficult." The Director stressed the importance of "boosting" the Middle East peace process to counter Iranian influence and intervention in the region. End summary. ¶2. (C/NF) PolChief met October 2 with Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Arab World Department Jassem Mubarak Al-Mubaraki to get a read out on the visits of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora (Oct. 1-2) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Sept. 30) to Kuwait. Al-Mubaraki said PM Siniora expressed his gratitude for the more than $800 million in assistance the GOK recently provided to Lebanon (reftel) and asked for Kuwait's continued support, particularly on the political front. The Amir assured the PM that this support would continue. "We believe PM Siniora is the right person, the legitimate person, and the only person who can lead Lebanon out of this crisis. We are strongly behind him," the Director said. ¶3. (C/NF) Al-Mubaraki said he believed PM Siniora was "doing a good job," but emphasized that the PM was in "a very difficult situation," facing political opposition from pro-Hizballah Shi'a and other political groups, including some Sunnis, who were trying to use the situation to strengthen their own political position. The Director stressed that financial support was not enough and argued that political support for PM Siniora's government was "very, very important." He added that the GOK had "no doubt" that Iran was trying to undermine stability in Lebanon through Hizballah and lamented the fact that Hizballah had such strong support among Arab publics. ¶4. (C/NF) Al-Mubaraki reported that the "main topic" in the Amir's meeting with President Abbas was "how to form a (Palestinian) national unity government and how Kuwait could help (Abbas) achieve this goal." The Director said the Amir assured Abbas that the GOK would continue to provide assistance to the Palestinians and that Kuwait supported Abbas' efforts to form a national unity government. He noted that the GOK had provided more than $130 million in direct budget assistance to the Palestinian government since 2002 and reported that Abbas had asked for this support to continue, a request Al-Mubaraki indicated Kuwait was inclined to provide. The Director added, however, that "it is very difficult for us" to help Abbas form a national unity government. (Note: Local media reported October 1 that Abbas requested Kuwait to mediate between Hamas and Fatah to help form a national unity government. End note.) ¶5. (C/NF) "To be able to counter Iranian intervention in Lebanon and Iraq, we must focus on the main issue in the Middle East," Al-Mubaraki said: "the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." The Director praised the Road Map and President Bush's calls for a two-state solution, but stressed that "we need more concrete efforts" to regain the confidence of Arab publics. Al-Mubaraki stressed the role of the U.S. and the Quartet, noting that Kuwait believes the UN Security Council is not a useful forum for these issues. Progress on the peace process "will help moderate countries, like Kuwait, counter Iran and Hizballah's influence in the region," he said. Al-Mubaraki predicted that all the GCC 2 Foreign Ministers would raise this issue with the Secretary in their October 3 meeting in Cairo. (Comment: Al-Mubaraki will accompany the Foreign Minister to the Cairo meeting. End comment.) ********************************************* * 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