VISIT TO THREE KUWAIT-IRAQ BORDER FACILITIES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000147 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/28/2016 TAGS: PREL ETRD MARR PBTS KU IZ SUBJECT: VISIT TO THREE KUWAIT-IRAQ BORDER FACILITIES REF: A. KUWAIT 33 ¶B. 06 KUWAIT 4173 ¶C. 06 KUWAIT 4638 Classified By: CDA Matt Tueller for reason 1.4 (d) ¶1. (U) Summary. On January 28, Ambassador and Emboffs participated in site visits to three border facilities on the Kuwait-Iraq border and to one Government of Kuwait (GOK) border outpost. Army Central Command (ARCENT) officials stated that the transition to the new military crossing point was proceeding well, though completion of the supply road on the Iraq side of the border will likely not be completed by the February 28 target date. At the border outpost, Ambassador witnessed a demonstration of the security systems - electrified fence, touch sensors and thermal image cameras - in place along the entire Kuwaiti border. End summary. Military Border Crossings -------------- ¶2. (C) During a visit to points of interest on the Iraq-Kuwait border, ARCENT officials briefed Ambassador and Emboffs that the transition from the current military border facility, Coalition Crossing at Camp Navistar, to the new military facility, Khabari Crossing (K-Crossing),was progressing well. The facilities at K-Crossing are completed and ready for operation. The procedures for the shared operation of the facility by ARCENT and Ministry of Interior (MOI) officials are in the final stages of agreement. A written statement of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) is in the hands of the MOI for their review and concurrence. The final element of the transition, the completion of the 105 kilometer portion of the supply road on the Iraq side of the border, is 60% complete. Military engineers connected to the road project said meeting the target completion date of February 28 is doubtful due to various contractor-related delays, but steady progress is being made and the project will be completed soon, though they were reluctant to give an estimated completion date. ¶3. (C) ARCENT officials said that once K-Crossing is operational, all convoys will be staged at Camp Virginia, 70 kilometers southeast, prior to being sent to K-Crossing, to avoid traffic congestion and delays at the border facility. At K-Crossing, GOK Immigration and Customs officials will process all northbound and southbound commercial vehicles operating under military contracts with a targeted processing time of 90 minutes or less. Northbound U.S. military vehicles will pass through the crossing without any GOK processing. Southbound military vehicles will be subject to spot checks by U.S. Navy Customs officers in cooperation with MOI officials. K-Crossing will be operated by approximately 70 U.S. military personnel and 20 military security personnel, who will be based at Camp Buehring, 35 kilometers to the east. Border Outpost -------------- ¶4. (C) Ambassador and Emboffs also visited a GOK border outpost, one of 20 responsible for monitoring the more than 200 kilometers of the Kuwait borders with Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The border fence monitoring systems include a sensor system connected to electrified concertina wire that is installed the entire length of Kuwait's two ground borders. Three meter high chain link fences on both sides of the concertina wire also run the length of the borders. The sensor system is activated when the concertina wire is touched. The system delivers a non-lethal electrical charge and identifies the point on the fence where the incident occurred. This information is received in the border outpost and at Border Security headquarters. The GOK also has thermal imaging camera systems installed at all of the border outposts. GOK Commercial Crossing -------------- ¶5. (C) The GOK Border Security officials also provided the Ambassador with an overview of the customs, immigration and border security procedures at the Abdaly border facility, the only public border crossing point from Kuwait into Iraq. The Abdaly Crossing currently processes an average of 400-500 commercial vehicles a day and 40-50 private vehicles entering KUWAIT 00000147 002 OF 002 into Iraq. Private Kuwaiti citizens are not permitted to cross into Iraq. (NOTE. This would appear to be near the capacity of the commercial crossing since contractors using the crossing consistently describe lengthy delays including overnight stays at the border while waiting for vehicles to be processed and cleared for movement across the border. The delays appear to be due to manpower and operating hours limitations on both the Kuwaiti and Iraqi sides of the border. End note.) Kuwaiti Border Security officials described regular and open communications with their Iraqi counterparts. This is in contrast to GOK Customs officials' statements in October 2006 (ref B) that there were no direct communications with their Iraqi Customs counterparts. ********************************************* * 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