GLOBAL PURSUIT OF TERRORIST INFORMATION EXCHANGE:

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 004688 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARP, S/CT FOR FRED VOGEL, CA FOR ALCY FELICK E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2016 TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV PINR CVIS ASEC KVPR KHLS KU TERRORISM SUBJECT: GLOBAL PURSUIT OF TERRORIST INFORMATION EXCHANGE: KUWAIT REF: SECSTATE 190832 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Matt Tueller for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (U) Post's response to Department inquiries in State 190832 follows. ¶2. (C/NF) Immigration Databases -------------- - The Government of Kuwait (GOK) Ministry of the Interior has a computerized immigration database. Information for all entries and exits are entered into this database at all of Kuwait's ports of entry. - The computerized databases are updated daily. ¶3. (C/NF) Watchlist and Information Sharing -------------- - All persons entering and exiting Kuwait are screened against the DOI and CED databases which generate hits for persons with criminal convictions and immigration violations. - Individuals are screened against two international watchlists: Interpol and TSA No Fly. - There are no bilateral or multilateral watchlists. The Government of Kuwait does exchange fingerprint information of persons with serious criminal convictions with fellow Gulf Cooperation Council members, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman on a monthly basis. ¶4. (C/NF) Biometrics -------------- - There are no fully operational biometric systems in place at ports of entry. The GOK is currently testing an electronic fingerprinting system at the international airport. Ultimately the system is to be used at all ports of entry. - The GOK uses fingerprint identification. The Ministry of Interior obtains fingerprints from Kuwaitis when they apply for national identification cards at age 18 and from foreign residents when they apply for residence permits. - The GOK has a DNA database. It takes DNA samples from convicted prisoners. - The GOK does not yet issue machine-readable (MR) passports with biometric information but plans to begin issuing them by ¶2008. ¶5. (C/NF) Post believes that the GOK will continue to be an appropriate partner for counterterror data sharing. ********************************************* * 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/ ********************************************* * TUELLER