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.

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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.

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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/
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LeBaron