MFA U/S ON PM'S TRIP TO ASIA, RELATIONS WITH IRAN,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000902 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/IR AND NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2022 TAGS: EAID ECON IR KU LE PGOV PREL KUWAIT-IRAN RELATIONS SUBJECT: MFA U/S ON PM'S TRIP TO ASIA, RELATIONS WITH IRAN, AND AID TO LEBANON REF: A. STATE 78944 ¶B. KUWAIT 270 Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C/NF) Summary: MFA Undersecretary Khaled Al-Jarallah told the Ambassador June 10 that the Prime Minister's trip to Asia to promote economic relations had been "very fruitful" and a number of agreements had been signed. In a meeting earlier in the day with the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Director of Gulf Affairs, Al-Jarallah urged Iran to cooperate with the international community and the IAEA, but confided to the Ambassador that "frankly speaking, we don't trust them (the Iranians)." Al-Jarallah also told the Director that the Amir would not accept an invitation to visit Iran until several outstanding bilateral issues were resolved. On Lebanon, the U/S said the GOK supported the GOL's actions against Fatah Al-Islam and would continue to provide financial support to Lebanon. He said Kuwait would also support the UNRWA appeal for assistance to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. (Note: We are making sure UNRWA is making a pitch.) End summary. ¶2. (C/NF) MFA Undersecretary Khaled Al-Jarallah told the Ambassador June 10 that Prime Minister Shaykh Nasser Mohammed Al-Sabah's recent trip to Asia, undertaken to promote Kuwait's economic relations with east Asian countries, had been "very fruitful." He said a number of economic agreements were signed covering trade, investment, oil, taxation, and the environment. The PM's delegation, which included Al-Jarallah and a number of Kuwaiti businessmen, visited Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The delegation was optimistic about the investment potential in East Timor's budding oil industry. The Prime Minister also raised the international tribunal on Lebanon with Indonesian officials, who assured him Indonesia would implement UN Security Council Resolution ¶1757. Given the success of this trip, Al-Jarallah said the Prime Minister planned to visit other Asian countries sometime in the near future. Iran -------------- ¶3. (C/NF) Al-Jarallah gave the Ambassador a read-out of his meeting earlier in the day with the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Director of Gulf Affairs, Jalah Fayrouznia, who is accompanying Iranian Speaker of Parliament Gholam Haddad Adel on a three-day visit to Kuwait June 10-12. Fayrouznia stressed Iran's commitment to regional security and the peaceful nature of its nuclear program. The U/S urged Iran to demonstrate this by being open and honest with the international community and the IAEA; however, he confided to the Ambassador that "frankly speaking, we don't trust them and believe they are hiding something." Fayrouznia told Al-Jarallah the recent U.S.-Iran talks in Baghdad were "a very important step." He said nothing concrete was agreed upon, but Iran was willing to continue such dialogue. Fayrouznia also expressed Iran's interest in working more closely with Gulf countries, particularly Kuwait, on Iraq. ¶4. (C/NF) On bilateral issues, Al-Jarallah told the Director the Amir would not accept an invitation to visit Iran until several bilateral issues were finalized. (Note: We suspect the key one relates to a long-standing dispute over the maritime boundaries of the continental shelf gas fields.) Fayrouznia proposed setting a date and place for the first meeting of the joint commission agreed upon during the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister's visit to Iran in February in order to address these outstanding bilateral issues (ref B). The U/S did not comment on whether or not a decision was reached. Lebanon -------------- ¶5. (C/NF) Al-Jarallah said the GOK supported the Lebanese government's action against the "terrorist group" in the Nahr Al-Bared refugee camp and would continue to provide financial assistance to Lebanon. He reported that the Amir and other Gulf leaders assured PM Siniora recently they would provide assistance in rebuilding the camps when the fighting ends. KUWAIT 00000902 002 OF 002 Al-Jarallah believed with these assurances Siniora could now act decisively against the remaining fighters in the camp. The Ambassador urged Kuwait to also support the UNRWA appeal for assistance to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories (ref A). Al-Jarallah said the GOK had not received such a request, but if it did "we will help immediately." The U/S praised the French initiative to host a meeting between competing factions in Lebanon as a step in the right direction. The Ambassador urged some caution in according all parties equal status in such an initiative. Amir's Summer Travel Plans -------------- ¶6. (C/NF) The U/S reported that the Amir will travel to Mongolia at the end of July for a 2-day official visit followed by a week-long private holiday. From there, the Amir will travel to London and then to New York, where he will arrive o/a August 10 for vacation at his home in New Jersey. The Amir's visits to China and Russia have been postponed due to scheduling issues. ********************************************* * 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