DEMARCHE DELIVERED: KUWAIT NONCOMMITTAL ON JOINING

UNCLAS KUWAIT 000850 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARP AND ISN/MTR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL MNUC KSCA ETTC TSPA KU SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED: KUWAIT NONCOMMITTAL ON JOINING HCOC REF: STATE 72346 (SBU) PolOff delivered on May 30 reftel points and passed sample Note Verbale and the text of the Hague Convention of Conduct (HCOC) to Rashid Al-Salih, the MFA official responsible for international agreements. Al-Salih said that Kuwait shared U.S. concerns about the proliferation of ballistic weapons, especially given the current tensions in the Gulf region. He noted that Kuwait was a party to many similar international treaties and initiatives and said he was not aware of any particular reason Kuwait would not sign on to the HCOC. PolOff provided the list of signatories to the HCOC in response to Al-Salih's question as to whether any other Arab or Gulf countries had signed. Al-Salih promised to pass the materials to the appropriate authorities in the Ministry. ********************************************* * 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