(C) AHMADINEJAD TELLS KUWAITIS NOT TO WORRY

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000677 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARPI E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2016 TAGS: PREL PARM IR EG KU SUBJECT: (C) AHMADINEJAD TELLS KUWAITIS NOT TO WORRY Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On February 28, MFA Under Secretary Khalid Jarallah provided Ambassador a brief read-out of the previous day's visit to KUWAIT by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the first visit by an Iranian head of state since 1979. The Iranians requested the visit to come congratulate Shaykh Sabah on becoming Amir. The entire cabinet joined the Amir in receiving Ahmadinejad at the airport. Jarallah said that there was "nothing unusual" in the Iranian President's message to the Amir during his short stay. Among Ahmadinejad's points, as paraphrased by Jarallah, were: -- Iran has the right to acquire nuclear technology; not going to threaten others in the region by doing so. -- If neighbors are worried about the environmental effects, so are we and I have instructed our experts to be careful and do all they need to do to protect the environment. -- The Amir questioned him about reports yesterday morning of an agreement with the Russians on re-processing; response was vague: Yes we will do our best to deal positively with the Russians and the EU. -- Worried about situation in Iraq, but not specific. ¶2. (C) On bilateral issues, Amir Shaykh Sabah agreed to pay a visit to Tehran in "near future," but no date set. The visit was linked to progress on delineation of the continental shelf boundaries. Water supply by Iran was also discussed and referred to the Joint Kuwait/Iran Committee. When asked, Jarallah said there was room for optimism that the continental shelf issue could be resolved. He was less optimistic about the prospects for import of Iranian water. ¶3. (C) When asked for any observations about Ahmadinejad's comportment, Jarallah said the Iranian leader was "relaxed" and seemed pleased by the opportunity to visit. ¶4. (C) Ambassador also inquired about the 2/27 Mubarak visit to KUWAIT -- also to congratulate the new Amir. Jarallah said it lasted less than an hour and there was little substance. ********************************************* * 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