IRAQ COMPACT: PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY FOR OCTOBER

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 004177 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/I; TREASURY FOR DEPSEC KIMMITT E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2011 TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN IZ KU PREL SUBJECT: IRAQ COMPACT: PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY FOR OCTOBER 31 MEETING REF: A. KUWAIT 4119 ¶B. KUWAIT 4023 Classified By: CDA Matt Tueller for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Econcouns spoke with MFA Director of Follow-up and Coordination Ambassador Khalid Maqamis on October 18 to touch base on GOK planning for the hosting of the Iraq Compact meeting on October 31. Maqamis said the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) had been charged by the foreign ministry with organizing the event and sending out invitations. Econcouns expressed appreciation for Kuwait's decision to host the Compact meeting. ¶2. (C) Econcouns spoke subsequently to Marwan Al-Ghanim, Regional Director for Arab Countries at KFAED. Al-Ghanim said he had been designated as point person at KFAED for overall organization of the Compact meeting. He relayed the following: -- The GOK has sent a letter to the Iraqi mission in Kuwait formally notifying the GOI of its agreement to host the October 31 meeting. -- The meeting will take place at the Kuwait Fund. -- KFAED plans to model the meeting along the lines of the Abu Dhabi gathering on September 10. They are envisioning 300 delegates from 22 countries and organizations. -- Al-Ghanim said he was receiving contradictory information about who was sending out the invitations. He was working with the UN in New York and in Kuwait, and with the GOI in Baghdad, to clarify. Director General of the Kuwait Fund, Dr. Abdulwahab al Bader, was also in contact with the Kuwaiti foreign ministry for clarification. Econcouns encouraged continued contact with both the UN and GOI to resolve this as soon as possible, noting it was USG understanding that the Kuwaitis would send out the invitations as hosts. Al-Ghanim agreed with the importance of moving quickly, noting that most of Kuwait would be on Eid holiday the following week. Al-Ghanim commented he was in touch with the GOI's Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs (nfi),who was "helpful." SIPDIS -- Econcouns noted we anticipated senior-level USG attendance at the meeting and said the embassy would be in touch to coordinate. ¶3. (C) Comment: On the basis of these two conversations, it is important that we urge the appropriate UN and GOI offices working on the Compact to engage immediately and robustly with the Kuwait Fund on the full range of organizational issues. As Al-Ghanim noted, the Eid holiday in Kuwait (October 23-25) will likely mean that little activity will be possible over the next week, as many Kuwaitis will be traveling. Tueller