NEW KUWAIT-IRAQ COALITION BORDER CROSSING TO OPEN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000730 SIPDIS SIPDIS NOFORN STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/I E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR PBTS KU IZ SUBJECT: NEW KUWAIT-IRAQ COALITION BORDER CROSSING TO OPEN MAY 15 REF: A. KUWAIT 33 ¶B. 06 KUWAIT 4638 ¶C. 06 KUWAIT 4173 Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C/NF) Summary: On May 8, Econoff attended the final drill in preparation for the May 15 opening of the Khabari Al-Wazem Border Crossing (commonly referred to as K-Crossing or the Khabari Coalition Crossing, KCC),on the Kuwait-Iraq border. K-Crossing will replace Navistar as the primary land crossing for U.S. and Coalition military forces and materiel entering Iraq from Kuwait. Major infrastructure and technical upgrades on the Kuwaiti side of the facility are complete, although some equipment issues remain, such as installation of computers and AIR conditioning repair in booths manned by Kuwaiti Immigration and Customs officials. On the Iraqi side, after months of delays due primarily to problems with Iraqi contractors (Ref A),the access road is now complete; however, there are no installations or structures of any kind on the Iraq side, and no sign of Iraqi officials. This is not inconsistent, however, with current operations at Navistar where Coalition traffic flows into Iraq relatively unimpeded. End summary. K-Crossing Operational May 15 -------------- ¶2. (C/NF) On May 8, U.S. and Kuwait government officials conducted a final test of the proficiency and synchronization of key functions of USARCENT transportation operations at the Khabari Al-Wazem Border Crossing (KCC) in advance of the official opening of the facility on May 15 (Note: The crossing was originally slated to open in 2006, but has been delayed numerous times due primarily to the problems with Iraqi construction contractors. End Note.) The drill tested communications systems, call forward, positive inbound clearance (PIC),convoy processing through Kuwaiti Customs and Immigration, coordination of traffic flow on the Kuwaiti access road, and traffic flow through K-Crossing. All phases of the exercise were completed successfully. No Iraqi Government Presence, Consistent with Current Operations at Navistar -------------- - ¶3. (C/NF) As of May 8, no visible Iraqi Government presence - military, customs, or other - exists on the Iraqi side of K-Crossing. There were also no structures and no sign that construction of any kind is imminent. The closest known presence of Iraqi Government personnel is approximately forty-seven kilometers to the east at the civilian Abdaly Border Crossing which is adjacent to the soon defunct Navistar crossing. Likewise, no Iraqi civilian presence was visible as, apart from a bitumen plant being used to build the road, there is virtually no habitation between the border and An-Nasiriyah, roughly one hundred kilometers to the north. (Note: The Iraqi Government also has a minimal presence at Navistar, allowing Coalition traffic to flow relatively unimpeded into Iraq. Navistar will close and be reclaimed by the Kuwaiti military once K-Crossing is fully operational and the U.S. military breaks down the site and returns it to its original state. End note.) Northbound (into Iraq) -------------- ¶4. (C/NF) The 377th Theater Support Command will oversee movement control functions, both northbound and southbound. Camp Virginia and Camp Buehring will be used as staging points for military and mixed civilian/military convoys, respectively. Convoy manifests will be passed to Kuwait Immigration and Customs officials a minimum of one hour before arrival at K-Crossing to ensure coordination and timely authorization to depart Kuwait. When called, convoys will move forward to K-Crossing for final inspection by Kuwaiti Customs and Immigration before exiting Kuwait. The stated goal is to process convoys through K-Crossing within ninety minutes. Southbound (into Kuwait) -------------- ¶5. (C/NF) All convoys entering Kuwait will be directed to the "504 Yard" immediately after crossing the border for inspection by the Kuwaiti Border Police (KBP). According to KBP, this brief inspection is designed to detect stowaways KUWAIT 00000730 002 OF 002 and will take less than a minute to complete on each vehicle. Vehicles will then be allowed to proceed to the Customs and Immigration checkpoints setback further away from the border. (Comment: This check appears to be redundant and is considered by many an attempt by KBP to get first crack at interdictions, and any benefits that might accrue from them. The close proximity of the 504 Yard to the border is also a concern from a FORCE protection standpoint, as the crossing is currently unsecured on the Iraqi side. End comment.) Findings -------------- ¶6. (C/NF) U.S. and Kuwaiti officials identified a few outstanding items: -- At present there are no computers in the booths manned by Kuwaiti Immigration and Customs officials. Computers have been ordered and are expected shortly, but may not be in place by the May 15 opening. Until the booths are automated, drivers must walk to the main immigration building onsite for processing. -- AIR conditioning units in some booths are not working properly and will have to be repaired. -- Another Kuwaiti official was pleased to learn that the phone in his booth was working but added that he did not know his number or that of his colleagues in neighboring booths. ********************************************* * 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