Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07KUWAIT598
2007-04-24 10:34:00
SECRET//NOFORN
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:  

AMBASSADOR RAISES CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Tags:  EPET ASEC PTER KCIP KU 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO4869
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHKU #0598 1141034
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 241034Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8871
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
S E C R E T KUWAIT 000598 

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DS/ATA, S/CT, NEA/ARP, EB/ESC/IEC; DOE FOR
KOLEVAR; NSC FOR JESSEE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/22/2017
TAGS: EPET ASEC PTER KCIP KU
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR RAISES CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
PROTECTION WITH KUWAITI LEADERSHIP

REF: A. KUWAIT 419

B. KUWAIT 448

C. KUWAIT 506

D. KUWAIT 460

E. KUWAIT 431

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

S E C R E T KUWAIT 000598

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DS/ATA, S/CT, NEA/ARP, EB/ESC/IEC; DOE FOR
KOLEVAR; NSC FOR JESSEE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/22/2017
TAGS: EPET ASEC PTER KCIP KU
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR RAISES CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
PROTECTION WITH KUWAITI LEADERSHIP

REF: A. KUWAIT 419

B. KUWAIT 448

C. KUWAIT 506

D. KUWAIT 460

E. KUWAIT 431

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


1. (S/NF) Summary: During meetings on April 23 and 24, the
Ambassador raised the need for follow-up on critical
infrastructure protection with the President of the National
Security Bureau, the Prime Minister and Oil Minister,
respectively. With each, the Ambassador praised the
cooperation at the time of the U.S. team,s visit, noted that
the final report would be done soon, and called for sustained
action and cooperation. (End Summary)


2. (S/NF) On 23 April, Ambassador met with National Security
Bureau (NSB) President Shaykh Ahmed Al-Fahd and briefed him
on the preliminary findings and recommendations from the
Dept-DOE-DHS Critical Energy Infrastructure Protection (CEIP)
assessment conducted in Kuwait from 14-21 March (Ref A).
Ambassador provided Shaykh Ahmed with a written summary of
short-term and medium-to-long-term informal recommendations
and explained that a final, detailed report from the
assessment would be completed within a matter of days and
that plans were underway to assemble a team to present the
report, respond to questions, and advise the Kuwaitis on
implementation. The Ambassador stressed that there were many
recommendations that could be acted on immediately and
explained the USG was eager to provide continuing cooperation
to help fill in the gaps in Kuwait's CEIP regime.


3. (S/NF) Shaykh Ahmed agreed that CEIP is a critical
matter requiring immediate attention and thanked the
Ambassador for the USG's continuing support. He said the NSB
had prepared its own report following the March assessment
and agreed that it would be important for USG experts to sit
down with their Kuwaiti counterparts to discuss the report
and map out a plan of action. Shaykh Ahmed also urged the
Ambassador to present the final USG report to the Prime
Minister as soon as possible to ensure that our efforts to
enhance CEIP have full support from the highest level of the
government in order to enable the maximum cooperation of the
various GOK agencies involved.


4. (S/NF) On 24 April, during a brief meeting on a number of
topics, the Ambassador raised the CEIP study with Prime
Minister Nasser Mohamed al-Ahmed Al-Sabah. The Prime
Minister was aware of the consultations on infrastructure
protection and pledged continued cooperation. The Ambassador
emphasized the need for interagency coordination.


5. (S/NF) Also on 24 April, the Ambassador called on Oil
Minister Shaykh Ali Jarrah Sabah Al-Sabah and thanked the
ministry for its cooperation on the project to better protect
oil infrastructure. The Ambassador mentioned two areas for
greater emphasis: coordination across agencies and training.
Shaykh Ali said that it appeared that the GOK would assign
the coordination role to the Security Decision Follow-Up
Committee led by retired General Mohammed Al-Bader, with whom
the Ambassador met on March 28 (Ref B) as part of Post's
ongoing CEIP follow-up (Refs C, D, E). The Oil Minister
thought that assigning coordination responsibilities to this
body would be effective since it reports directly to the
Council of Ministers (cabinet).

********************************************* *
For more reporting from Embssy 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