KUWAIT "100 PERCENT WITH THE PRESIDENT" ON IRAQ

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000108

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/I, NEA/ARP; NSC FOR RAMCHAND

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/24/2016
TAGS: PREL IZ KU
SUBJECT: KUWAIT "100 PERCENT WITH THE PRESIDENT" ON IRAQ

Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C/NF) Summary: During a courtesy call by visiting
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for
International Security Affairs Mary Beth Long, Kuwaiti
Foreign Minister Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabah Al-Salem
Al-Sabah expressed full agreement with the President's
strategy for bringing stability to Iraq. The Foreign
Minister was also pleased that the GCC states plus Jordan and
Egypt had all endorsed the objectives of the President's
"courageous decisions," and had been particularly comforted
by Secretary Rice's explanation of the political dimensions
of the strategy during their session in Kuwait January 16th.
He cautioned that the U.S. should not be "defeated by a short
vision of success" and said that history will show that
liberation of Iraq will "lay down a new foundation" for a
better Middle East. He noted that an important unknown in the
new strategy is whether Iraqi PM Al-Maliki will demonstrate
the will and ability to bring about a genuine reconciliation
process. The Foreign Minister expressed concern about rumors
of Mahdi forces moving into Southern Iraq, partly to avoid
the U.S. campaign in Baghdad. The Minister reiterated
Kuwaiti hopes that the President's efforts to bring about a
two state solution for Israel and Palestine would bear fruit.
He also cautioned against playing into the hands of
extremists in the region by identifying them too closely with
Islam -- counseling that we simply refer to them as criminals
and terrorists, vice "Islamic extremists." On bilateral
issues, the Foreign Minister once again pressed for early
action on release into GOK custody of the remaining four
Kuwaitis at Guantanamo. (End summary)


"Stay the New Course"
--------------


2. (C/NF) Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Shaykh Dr. Mohammed
al-Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah held a wide-ranging discussion
with PDAS/D Mary Beth Long, Ambassador LeBaron and senior
members of PDAS Long's delegation (in Kuwait for the Joint
Military Commission Meeting) that touched on a number of
regional issues. Dr. Mohammed gave high marks to the
Administration's new strategy for Iraq. He prefaced his
remarks on Iraq by noting that the situation in Iraq should
not be viewed through the optic of the Vietnam conflict,
which he characterized as a superpower confrontation. He
said that he agreed one hundred percent that defeat would
lead to civil war and instability in the region. He said the
President had made a "courageous decision" and all GCC
countries endorsed the objectives of the new Iraq policy. He
commented that when people in Kuwait call Iraq a quagmire,
his response is that indeed the United States is trying to
pull Iraq out of its quagmire -- "We thank you for your
effort to prevent Iraq's break-up and stop the bloodshed."


3. (C/NF) Later in the discussion, the Foreign Minister
expanded on his initial comments about Iraq. He questioned
whether Prime Minister Al-Maliki "will be able to exercise
authority" over all factions and able to reach out to Sunnis
in order to "get the reconciliation process moving." He
said, "Your military will do the job but it will be the
political strategy that will produce eventual success." He
urged the U.S. to "stay the new course," saying that U.S.
actions will "lay down a new foundation" for stability. He
said that a lot had been learned from earlier mistakes. He
congratulated Secretary Rice for her clear and convincing
explanation of the political dimensions of the new strategy
for Iraq. He said the Foreign Ministers of the GCC 6 plus
Egypt and Jordan for the first time saw the political
dimension of the strategy in their session on the 16th with
Dr. Rice, and "now there is a great deal of comfort" among
them. He said that Kuwaitis appreciated very much what
President Bush had said regarding standing by U.S. allies in
the region in his speech on Iraq and in the State of the
Union message.

What About Iran?
--------------


4. (C/NF) In the context of a question about Iran, Dr.
Mohammed noted reports that Al-Mahdi forces may be moving to
southern Iraq in order to avoid confrontation in Baghdad. He
said, "we are very concerned about southern Iraq" and asked
whether the plan to deal with Baghdad will have an impact on
or ramifications for southern Iraq -- "Will some insurgency
forces re-locate to the south?" He also asked PDAS Long how
to read the build-up of U.S. naval forces in the Gulf. PDAS
Long said that this build-up is an indication of the
seriousness of our commitment to defend our friends.

KUWAIT 00000108 002 OF 002



Dealing with Extremism without Fueling It
--------------


5. (C/NF) The Kuwaiti minister commented briefly on Ayman
al-Zawahiri's presentation on Al-Jazeera about defeating U.S.
forces, noting its timing and the ability of such a group to
easily access this media. In a discussion of how to deal
with such extremism, the Foreign Minister said, "what matters
is how you (U.S.) respond to it." He said the extremists are
trying to draw the United States into a wider confrontation
with the Muslim world, while "the overwhelming majority of
Muslims believe in Islam as a religion of peace and
brotherhood" with others. The Foreign Minister said that the
"Islamophobia" in the U.S. helps the extremists -- it gives
them tactical advantage and helps them enlarge their base.
He said use of such terms as "Islamo-facism plays right into
their hands and puts us on the defensive." "They should be
called criminials and terrrorists" -- not "Islamic radicals"
or "Islamic terrorists."

Guantanamo a Blot on Bilateral Ties
--------------


6. (C) When asked about bilateral issues, the Kuwaiti FM
said, "they are very strong, very good." However, he added,
that the U.S. can be its worst enemy in terms of public
image. He emphasized that Guantanamo does "not help at all."
He once again appealed for rapid U.S. action to return the
final four Kuwaiti detainees being held at Guantanamo.


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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/
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LEBARON