KUWAIT DEFENSE MINISTER: BASES NOT TO BE USED IN

S E C R E T KUWAIT 000905 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2017 TAGS: PREL PARM MARR IR KU SUBJECT: KUWAIT DEFENSE MINISTER: BASES NOT TO BE USED IN ATTACK ON IRAN REF: KUWAIT 873 Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) On June 11, Kuwait Defense Minister Shaykh Jaber Al-Mubarak said that Kuwait would never allow itself to be used as a launch pad for an attack against Iran or any other country. He also stated that the U.S. had not asked for permission to use Kuwait's territory to attack any country in the region and that "(e)ven if the U.S. asked us to do so, we would not grant it that right." Earlier on June 11, Kuwait Foreign Minister Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah refused to respond to a "hypothetical" question from a reporter about whether Kuwait would permit a US attack on Iran from Kuwait's territory but stated that "Kuwait is against escalation of tensions in the Arabian Gulf region" and that "the only means of regaining peace in the region is through the implementation of the UN Charter." ¶2. (C) The comments by the two leading ministers were the feature story in most of the June 12 Kuwait dailies and came on the heels of a three day visit to Kuwait by the Iranian Shura Council President Ali Gholam Hadda Adel during which press reports quoted him as stating that Iran would strike U.S. military bases in the Gulf if they were used to attack his country. ¶3. (S/NF) On May 21, National Security Board President Shaykh Ahmed Al-Fahd Al-Sabah echoed these sentiments stating to the press that Kuwait was against any military action against Iran and that a peaceful resolution should be found. During Gulf Security Dialogue discussions with U.S. representatives in May, Shaykh Ahmed raised Kuwaiti concerns about the threat of Iranian retaliation against Kuwait if attacked by the U.S. or ISRAEL and stated that Kuwait had difficulty interpreting and supporting what it sees as an inconsistent USG policy towards Iran (reftel). ********************************************* * 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