KEEPING THE KUWAITIS FOCUSED ON FOREIGN FIGHTERS

S E C R E T KUWAIT 001073 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS NEA/ARP, NEA/ELA, NEA/I/POL, EB/ESC/TFS; NSC FOR KIFAYAT, TREASURY FOR A/S PATRICK O'BRIEN, DANIEL HARRIS, AND BENJAMIM DAVIS; S/CT FOR MONOSSON E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2017 TAGS: PREL PTER IZ KU DEMARCHE PGOV KTFN ECON SUBJECT: KEEPING THE KUWAITIS FOCUSED ON FOREIGN FIGHTERS REF: A. SECSTATE 92339 ¶B. KUWAIT 1057 ¶C. KUWAIT 1056 Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (S/NF) During a July 7 farewell call on Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, the Ambassador emphasized the need to keep up the pressure on the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Afghanistan and go after those who facilitate and fund them. The Minister, who had just returned from consultations with other GCC ministers in Riyadh, readily agreed on the need to aggressively pursue this problem. He said they had done so with Kuwaiti Jaber al-Jalahmah, who had clearly felt the pressure during his recent detention. The FM said they would keep up such pressure on Jalahmah and his ilk not only because of the damage they do in Iraq but because they encourage young Kuwaitis to get themselves killed, tear apart Kuwaiti families, and make it more difficult for Kuwait to get back its nationals detained at Guantanamo. ¶2. (S/NF) Separately, following up on the Ambassador's July 3 discussion with MFA Undersecretary Khaled Al-Jarallah on the same topic, Poloff reinforced ref A demarche July 7 during a meeting with Khaled Al-Maqamis, Director of the Coordination and Follow-up Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Maqamis said that the GOK supports the USG on the foreign fighter issue. He noted that the GOK has regularly raised this issue with the Government of Syria and "received assurances" but "nothing has been done." ********************************************* * 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