Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07KUWAIT781
2007-05-16 14:47:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:  

FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHAIRMAN ON RECENT VISIT TO IRAN,

Tags:  PREL PGOV IR KU KUWAIT IRAN RELATIONS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO7244
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
DE RUEHKU #0781/01 1361447
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 161447Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9138
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000781 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/IR AND NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2022
TAGS: PREL PGOV IR KU KUWAIT IRAN RELATIONS
SUBJECT: FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHAIRMAN ON RECENT VISIT TO IRAN,
KUWAITI POLITICS

REF: KUWAIT 775

Classified By: Political Counselor Donald Blome for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000781

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/IR AND NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2022
TAGS: PREL PGOV IR KU KUWAIT IRAN RELATIONS
SUBJECT: FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHAIRMAN ON RECENT VISIT TO IRAN,
KUWAITI POLITICS

REF: KUWAIT 775

Classified By: Political Counselor Donald Blome for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d)


1. (C) Summary: On May 13, Foreign Affairs Chairman and
Inter-Arab Parliament (IAP) Speaker Mohammed Al-Sager gave
PolOffs a read-out of his recent visit to Iran. Al-Sager
said Iranian officials he met, including Rafsanjani, asked
for Kuwaiti mediation with the U.S. and called on Kuwait to
play a more active role in Iraq. They also expressed
interest in attending a meeting in Kuwait this summer
organized by the IAP to discuss Arab-Iranian issues, and
suggested including "the foreign military presence in the
region" and "the name of the Gulf" (i.e. Persian vs. Arab)
among the discussion topics. Recounting one Iranian
journalist's open criticism of Ahmadinejad, Al-Sager said he
could "feel the strain" in Iran and claimed the Iranians were
increasingly worried. He predicted the Iranians would
eventually back down on the nuclear issue. On Kuwaiti
domestic politics, Al-Sager argued that some Islamist MPs
were intentionally stoking fears of a U.S.-Iran conflict for
political purposes. He reported that the Government
presented "nothing spectacular" during its May 9 briefing to
the Foreign Affairs Committee on Kuwait's contingency
planning for a possible U.S.-Iran war. Al-Sager believed the
Prime Minister was "at the peak of his strength," but
nonetheless predicted the Minister of Justice/Awqaf would be
forced out of the Cabinet by Salafi opponents during the
summer. End summary.


2. (C) PolOffs met May 13 with MP Mohammed Jassem Al-Sager,
the Chairman of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and
the Speaker of the Inter-Arab Parliament (IAP),a body formed
under the auspices of the Arab League in 2005. Al-Sager
visited Iran May 6-7 and met with former president Hashemi
Rafsanjani, Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezai, Majlis
Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, and Chairman of the Majlis'
Foreign Affairs Committee Aladdin Boroujerdi, and several
Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials. He said Iranian
officials expressed an interest in attending an Arab-Iranian

dialogue meeting organized by the IAP in Kuwait later this
summer. Al-Sager claimed the Foreign Ministers of Egypt and
Saudi Arabia; former Iraqi Prime Ministers Iyad Allawi and
Ibrahim Al-Jaafari; and Arab League Secretary General Amr
Moussa had already agreed to attend.


3. (C) The discussions will cover a wide range of issues
related to regional security, including Iran's nuclear
program. Al-Sager said Iranian officials also wanted to
discuss "the foreign military presence in the region," but he
warned them that Arab leaders might respond by raising Iran's
presence in Iraq and other countries. The Iranians, however,
denied that they had a military presence in Iraq. The
Iranians also wanted to discuss "the name of the Gulf" (i.e.
Persian or Arab),a suggestion Al-Sager told them would also
cause controversy.

Iranians Feeling the Strain
--------------


4. (C) Although in Iran less than 48 hours, Al-Sager said he
could "feel the strain." He recounted how one Iranian
journalist he spoke to had openly criticized President
Ahmadinejad in the lobby of their hotel, clearly unconcerned
that others could overhear him. Al-Sager took this as an
indication of growing frustration with Ahmadinejad's
policies. Iranian officials told Al-Sager they wanted Kuwait
to mediate between them and the U.S. and to play a more
active role in resolving problems in Iraq. He believed the
Iranians felt more comfortable with Kuwait than with the
Saudi Arabia due to Kuwait's strategic location and the
historically good ties between the two countries. Iranian
officials also lobbied for more Kuwaiti investment in Iran,
whose economic problems Al-Sager claimed were becoming
increasingly severe, particularly the lack of investment in
oil infrastructure. Despite tensions over the nuclear
program, Al-Sager believed the Iranians knew "the limits of
the game" and would eventually back down. "They are shrewd
negotiators, but very pragmatic and smart," he argued.

Islamists Stoking Political Fires
--------------


5. (C) Al-Sager said the Government presented "nothing
spectacular" in its May 9 briefing to the Foreign Affairs
Committee on Kuwait's preparedness in the event of a
U.S.-Iran conflict. He criticized some Islamist MPs for
stoking fears of such a conflict for political gains and
claimed most MPs did not believe a conflict was likely.

KUWAIT 00000781 002 OF 002


Al-Sager argued that cooperation between the Islamic
Constitutional Movement (ICM),the political arm of the
Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood, and the National Islamic Alliance
(NIA),a hardline, Iran-leaning Shi'a political association,
was "not surprising." He claimed this "strategic
partnership" was motivated by similar views on Hizballah,
Hamas, and Israel. (Comment: The ICM participated in a
recent Islamic Brotherhood Conference hosted by NIA, which
featured representatives from Iran, Hizballah, and the
Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. The ICM has participated in
such conferences before. One ICM official told PolOff it
would be politically difficult for the ICM not to attend a
conference on "Islamic unity." End comment.)


6. (C) Al-Sager predicted Minister of Justice/Awqaf Abdullah
Al-Maatouq would be forced out of the Cabinet in the summer.
He explained that the Minister had infuriated Salafis by
reducing their influence within the two ministries (reftel).
Despite pressure on his government, Al-Sager argued that the
Prime Minister was "at the peak of his strength" and did not
face any serious challenges. Al-Sager suggested a new tax
law and Project Kuwait, an $8.5 billion project to develop
Kuwait's northern oil fields, could be passed in the near
future.

********************************************* *
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