UNCERTAINTY OVER KUWAITI SIGNATORY FOR MOU ON CEIP

S E C R E T KUWAIT 001027 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR S/CT, DS/ATA, PM, NEA/ARP; ENERGY FOR KOLEVAR, DE ALVAREZ; NSC FOR ANDERSON E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/2017 TAGS: ASEC EPET KCIP KU PTER SUBJECT: UNCERTAINTY OVER KUWAITI SIGNATORY FOR MOU ON CEIP JOINT WORKING GROUP REF: A. KUWAIT 921 ¶B. KUWAIT 873 ¶C. KUWAIT 790 Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S/NF) Ambassador met with Security Decision Follow-up Committee (SDFC) Chairman General Mohammed Al-Bader on June 24 to discuss next steps towards forming a Critical Energy Infrastructure Protection (CEIP) Joint Working Group (JWG) following the June 12-13 visit by a USG CEIP team (ref A). (Note: In previous meetings with the Ambassador (reftels) there had been consensus among the principal GOK leaders that General Al-Bader and the SDFC would be the lead GOK agency for CEIP coordination. End note.) General Al-Bader expressed his gratitude for the USG's ongoing encouragement and support of CEIP enhancements, but said the National Security Bureau (NSB) would need to advise on what government agency could enter into an MOU. The General said, "the facts on the ground are not in my hands," noting that the members of the SDFC "serve only as advisors" and lack the authority to control all of the Kuwaiti agencies involved in CEIP. General Al-Bader highlighted his particular frustration with the Minister of Interior which he described as deficient in terms of "management, discipline, training, and morale." He lamented that only the MOI, and not private security forces, had the authority to arm their personnel. He noted that the SDFC could continue to improve CEIP through the installation of security systems and through partnership with private sector companies, but said the biggest and most critical challenge would be to build a trained and capable reaction force. Venting his frustration with the MOI leadership, General Al-Bader said "the biggest problem is dealing with someone who isn't qualified but thinks he is." Colonel Mohammed Al-Faresi, one of the General's deputies, explained that the SDFC had made frequent efforts to identify training opportunities for the MOI but always encountered stiff resistance. Al-Faresi said the NSB had a clearer mandate to coordinate security efforts across multiple Kuwaiti agencies. ¶2. (S/NF) On June 27, Ambassador met with NSB President Shaykh Ahmed Al-Fahd Al-Sabah to express USG eagerness to maintain the momentum on CEIP efforts. Shaykh Ahmed thanked the Ambassador for USG cooperation on CEIP and said, "We support anything that increases our capability in this area." He added, "Every time terrorists are captured in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, or other countries we hear that our energy facilities are their first target." He said he would need to consult on which GOK agency would take the lead in finalizing and signing an agreement on a JWG. The Ambassador left Shaykh Ahmed a proposal for the potential framework and objectives of a USG-GOK CEIP JWG as well as a draft of potential MOU language. The Ambassador made clear that the JWG concept and MOU language would need to be refined, reviewed, and agreed to by both governments. (Note: The proposal is the same document we presented to the Kuwaiti participants in the June 13 CEIP meeting. The draft MOU language was assembled by Post and Bruce Averill of S/CT based on the Saudi CEIP MOU. End note.) The Ambassador suggested that the JWG should be formalized through an MOU to enable more robust cooperation and information sharing. Shaykh Ahmed said he would prefer an MOU rather than a more formal agreement in order to avoid bureaucratic delays and the need for Parliamentary approval. He said the NSB would review the proposal and provide feedback. ¶3. (S/NF) The Ambassador also briefed Amiri Petroleum Advisor Khalid Al-Fulaij on CEIP developments during a June 30 meeting, noting that Kuwait was making progress in infrastructure security, and an MOU would enable the two sides to move to the next level of cooperation and information sharing. Al-Fulaij was supportive of the idea and suggested the Minister of Interior would ultimately decide who would sign the MOU for the Kuwait side. ********************************************* * 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