Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KUWAIT4664
2006-12-17 12:54:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:
TERROR FINANCE: MFA INDICATES NO PLANS TO LIFT
how-toVZCZCXRO7122 OO RUEHDE RUEHDIR DE RUEHKU #4664/01 3511254 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 171254Z DEC 06 FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7906 INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 3102 RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004664
SIPDIS
NOFORN
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, EB/ESC/TFS, TREASURY FOR KRISTEN HECHT
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2016
TAGS: ECON PGOV PTER PREL KU KTFN
SUBJECT: TERROR FINANCE: MFA INDICATES NO PLANS TO LIFT
HOLD ON DESIGNEES
REF: A. STATE 186953
B. STATE 192459
C. KUWAIT 4509
D. KUWAIT 4507
E. KUWAIT 4637
Classified By: CDA Matt Tueller for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004664
SIPDIS
NOFORN
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, EB/ESC/TFS, TREASURY FOR KRISTEN HECHT
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2016
TAGS: ECON PGOV PTER PREL KU KTFN
SUBJECT: TERROR FINANCE: MFA INDICATES NO PLANS TO LIFT
HOLD ON DESIGNEES
REF: A. STATE 186953
B. STATE 192459
C. KUWAIT 4509
D. KUWAIT 4507
E. KUWAIT 4637
Classified By: CDA Matt Tueller for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C/NF) Summary: MFA Director of Follow-up and
Coordination Khalid Maqamis told Econcouns December 16 that
the three Kuwaitis designated as terrorist facilitators by
the US Department of Treasury on December 7 -- Hamad Al Ali,
Jaber Al-Jalamah, and Mubarak Al-Bathali -- were not active
and were not threatening, and there was no need to take
further action against them at the UN. He professed surprise
at the timing of the USG designation, as the GOK had no
advance notice (note: due to apparently technical reasons,
Refs A and B instructing post to inform the GOK of pending
action against three Kuwaiti citizens never reached Embassy
Kuwait. Post is in contact with the Department to resolve
the problem to avoid a repeat in the future. End Note).
Echoing National Security Bureau President Shaykh Ahmed
Al-Fahd's point to APHSCT Townsend during their mid-November
meeting, Maqamis maintained that the three individuals were
under close scrutiny by the Kuwaiti authorities. Since there
was no legal basis to take action against these individuals
in Kuwait, Maqamis argued, and indeed they had been absolved
of any wrongdoing in the past by the Kuwaiti courts, there
was no basis on which to designate them as terrorist
facilitators at the UN 1267 Sanctions Committee. Maqamis
said U.S. evidence against the three individuals was
insufficient for the GOK to justify taking further action,
and the GOK thus requested Qatar to put a hold on further
action against them at the UN. End Summary.
2. (C/NF) Econcouns called on MFA Director of Follow-up and
Coordination Khaled Maqamis to review the designation of
three Kuwaiti citizens by the Department of Treasury on
December 7 and to ask about Kuwait's intentions in lobbying
Qatar to place a hold on further action against them at the
UN. Maqamis said the December 7 designations came as a
"surprise" and insisted the three designees were relatively
harmless at this point. They were being watched, he said,
and "they are not active." More importantly, Maqamis said
two of the three individuals, Hamad Al-Ali and Jaber
Al-Jalamah, had been to court three and two times,
respectively, and each time the court had absolved them of
any wrongdoing. There were no charges pending against them
in Kuwait. Maqamis said there was no way the GOK could
justify taking action against them as terrorist inciters or
facilitators when legally they were not regarded as
supporters of terrorism.
3. (C/NF) Econcouns rejoined that there was, in fact,
evidence implicating these individuals as terrorist inciters,
including calls to Jihad, advocacy of suicide attacks against
coalition forces in Iraq, travel to Afghanistan, and
fund-raising for terrorist activity. Econcouns drew on Ref
A and B points to outline the case against each individual,
and noted that APHSCT Townsend had expressed concern about
the three individuals in meetings with the GOK in
mid-November (Refs C and D. Note: Shaykh Ahmed argued
against designating the three individuals on the grounds they
were under surveillance and had a relationship with the
Kuwait State Security). The evidence was, in fact,
substantial, and the U.S. had been sharing information with
the GOK for several years. Econcouns regretted the GOK had
been caught off guard by the timing, but stressed this had
been in the works for some time, and there should be no
surprise on the GOK's part that it eventually came to
fruition. Maqamis said a U.S. designation was one thing, but
it was not possible for Kuwait to support the designation of
the three Kuwaitis at the UN when on several occasions going
back to 1999 courts in Kuwait had dropped charges against
them. While not "good people," Maqamis said, they were not
guilty of supporting terrorism. Once the GOK learned of the
US designations, Maqamis said, the GOK contacted Qatar to put
a hold on designations at the UN.
4. (C/NF) Maqamis insisted (despite U.S. evidence to the
contrary) that the three Kuwaitis are "quiet now." They are
under surveillance by the Kuwait security services, Maqamis
said. He said Bathali says many things to gain attention and
is in fact mentally unstable. He is "a crazy man," Maqamis
said. His son, on the other hand, now in prison in Iraq, is
a supporter of terrorism, Maqamis acknowledged.
KUWAIT 00004664 002 OF 002
5. (C/NF) Econcouns used the occasion to reinforce ongoing
USG concern with the activities of the Kuwaiti charity
Revival of Islamic Heritage (RIHS). Econcouns said the MFA
had repeatedly said the case outlining RIHS associations with
terrorist activity abroad were unsubstantiated, yet the GOK
had never refuted the specific charges contained in a series
of USG non-papers, nor indicated in any kind of detail what
the shortcomings of the evidence were. Econcouns said a more
detailed dialogue on terror financing would be useful, rather
than a wholesale refutation by the GOK of evidence presented
by the USG.
Comment
--------------
6. (C/NF) As this conversation indicates, the GOK continues
to pursue a policy of co-optation that seeks to moderate and
control Kuwait-based extremists and their activities inside
Kuwait, but does much less to moderate facilitation of terror
and jihad activities by Kuwaitis aimed at Iraq and
Afghanistan. It is unlikely we will have much success, based
on discussions with Shaykh Ahmed and Maqamis, with ratcheting
up our demarche to get the Kuwaitis to back down on UN
designation of these three individuals.
********************************************
For more Embassy Kuwait reporting, see:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s
Or Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/
********************************************
TUELLER
SIPDIS
NOFORN
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, EB/ESC/TFS, TREASURY FOR KRISTEN HECHT
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2016
TAGS: ECON PGOV PTER PREL KU KTFN
SUBJECT: TERROR FINANCE: MFA INDICATES NO PLANS TO LIFT
HOLD ON DESIGNEES
REF: A. STATE 186953
B. STATE 192459
C. KUWAIT 4509
D. KUWAIT 4507
E. KUWAIT 4637
Classified By: CDA Matt Tueller for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C/NF) Summary: MFA Director of Follow-up and
Coordination Khalid Maqamis told Econcouns December 16 that
the three Kuwaitis designated as terrorist facilitators by
the US Department of Treasury on December 7 -- Hamad Al Ali,
Jaber Al-Jalamah, and Mubarak Al-Bathali -- were not active
and were not threatening, and there was no need to take
further action against them at the UN. He professed surprise
at the timing of the USG designation, as the GOK had no
advance notice (note: due to apparently technical reasons,
Refs A and B instructing post to inform the GOK of pending
action against three Kuwaiti citizens never reached Embassy
Kuwait. Post is in contact with the Department to resolve
the problem to avoid a repeat in the future. End Note).
Echoing National Security Bureau President Shaykh Ahmed
Al-Fahd's point to APHSCT Townsend during their mid-November
meeting, Maqamis maintained that the three individuals were
under close scrutiny by the Kuwaiti authorities. Since there
was no legal basis to take action against these individuals
in Kuwait, Maqamis argued, and indeed they had been absolved
of any wrongdoing in the past by the Kuwaiti courts, there
was no basis on which to designate them as terrorist
facilitators at the UN 1267 Sanctions Committee. Maqamis
said U.S. evidence against the three individuals was
insufficient for the GOK to justify taking further action,
and the GOK thus requested Qatar to put a hold on further
action against them at the UN. End Summary.
2. (C/NF) Econcouns called on MFA Director of Follow-up and
Coordination Khaled Maqamis to review the designation of
three Kuwaiti citizens by the Department of Treasury on
December 7 and to ask about Kuwait's intentions in lobbying
Qatar to place a hold on further action against them at the
UN. Maqamis said the December 7 designations came as a
"surprise" and insisted the three designees were relatively
harmless at this point. They were being watched, he said,
and "they are not active." More importantly, Maqamis said
two of the three individuals, Hamad Al-Ali and Jaber
Al-Jalamah, had been to court three and two times,
respectively, and each time the court had absolved them of
any wrongdoing. There were no charges pending against them
in Kuwait. Maqamis said there was no way the GOK could
justify taking action against them as terrorist inciters or
facilitators when legally they were not regarded as
supporters of terrorism.
3. (C/NF) Econcouns rejoined that there was, in fact,
evidence implicating these individuals as terrorist inciters,
including calls to Jihad, advocacy of suicide attacks against
coalition forces in Iraq, travel to Afghanistan, and
fund-raising for terrorist activity. Econcouns drew on Ref
A and B points to outline the case against each individual,
and noted that APHSCT Townsend had expressed concern about
the three individuals in meetings with the GOK in
mid-November (Refs C and D. Note: Shaykh Ahmed argued
against designating the three individuals on the grounds they
were under surveillance and had a relationship with the
Kuwait State Security). The evidence was, in fact,
substantial, and the U.S. had been sharing information with
the GOK for several years. Econcouns regretted the GOK had
been caught off guard by the timing, but stressed this had
been in the works for some time, and there should be no
surprise on the GOK's part that it eventually came to
fruition. Maqamis said a U.S. designation was one thing, but
it was not possible for Kuwait to support the designation of
the three Kuwaitis at the UN when on several occasions going
back to 1999 courts in Kuwait had dropped charges against
them. While not "good people," Maqamis said, they were not
guilty of supporting terrorism. Once the GOK learned of the
US designations, Maqamis said, the GOK contacted Qatar to put
a hold on designations at the UN.
4. (C/NF) Maqamis insisted (despite U.S. evidence to the
contrary) that the three Kuwaitis are "quiet now." They are
under surveillance by the Kuwait security services, Maqamis
said. He said Bathali says many things to gain attention and
is in fact mentally unstable. He is "a crazy man," Maqamis
said. His son, on the other hand, now in prison in Iraq, is
a supporter of terrorism, Maqamis acknowledged.
KUWAIT 00004664 002 OF 002
5. (C/NF) Econcouns used the occasion to reinforce ongoing
USG concern with the activities of the Kuwaiti charity
Revival of Islamic Heritage (RIHS). Econcouns said the MFA
had repeatedly said the case outlining RIHS associations with
terrorist activity abroad were unsubstantiated, yet the GOK
had never refuted the specific charges contained in a series
of USG non-papers, nor indicated in any kind of detail what
the shortcomings of the evidence were. Econcouns said a more
detailed dialogue on terror financing would be useful, rather
than a wholesale refutation by the GOK of evidence presented
by the USG.
Comment
--------------
6. (C/NF) As this conversation indicates, the GOK continues
to pursue a policy of co-optation that seeks to moderate and
control Kuwait-based extremists and their activities inside
Kuwait, but does much less to moderate facilitation of terror
and jihad activities by Kuwaitis aimed at Iraq and
Afghanistan. It is unlikely we will have much success, based
on discussions with Shaykh Ahmed and Maqamis, with ratcheting
up our demarche to get the Kuwaitis to back down on UN
designation of these three individuals.
********************************************
For more Embassy Kuwait reporting, see:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s
Or Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/
********************************************
TUELLER