SECRETARY CHERTOFF DISCUSSES CT WITH KUWAITI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 KUWAIT 000370

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARP AND NEA/I
DHS FOR T. WARRICK

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2018
TAGS: PREL PTER KCIP KDRG KTFN KU IZ IR
SUBJECT: SECRETARY CHERTOFF DISCUSSES CT WITH KUWAITI
LEADERSHIP (MARCH 24-25, 2008)

REF: A. KUWAIT 337

B. KUWAIT 313

C. STATE 07443

D. KUWAIT 320

Classified By: CDA Alan G. Misenheimer for reasons 1.4 (b,d)

Summary
--------------


1. (C) During a March 24-25 visit to Kuwait, DHS Secretary
Michael Chertoff met with Kuwait's Amir, Crown Prince, PM,
FM, MinDef and National Security Bureau President (NSB) to
discuss counterterrorism and information sharing, Iran and
Iraq, Critical Energy Infrastructure Protection and the USG's
"Secure Borders, Open Doors" policy. Chertoff obtained the
Amir's approval to begin development of a Passenger Name
Record system for Kuwait, and both sides agreed to an
exchange of experts within the next 2-3 weeks to investigate
its implementation.


2. (C) The Amir renewed his call for the repatriation of
Kuwait's four remaining Guantanamo detainees. The PM
expressed his concerns about potential Iraqi refugees from
southern Iraq and reiterated GOK opposition to a U.S.
military strike on Iran. The FM said global restrictions on
Islamic charities risked denying aid to the needy, and that
terrorist organizations were now filling that role. He also
commented on the insulting manner in which the SARG had
delivered its Arab League Summit invitation to PM Fouad
Siniora. NSB President Ahmed Al-Fahed raised GOK concerns
about the treatment of Arabs at U.S. ports of entry. End
summary.

Initial Activities
--------------


3. (C) On March 24, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff viewed
Kuwait's northern border with Iraq from the Khabari Crossing
to the Khor Abdullah via helicopter with GOK and Embassy
officials. The tour included a detailed Customs briefing at
the Khabari Crossing. Later in the day, the Secretary met
with members of the National Union of Kuwaiti Students and
participated in a press round table with twelve local
journalists at the Embassy. The following day, the Secretary
visited Good Morning Kuwait for an early-morning television
interview, and then went into a series of late-morning and
early-afternoon meetings with senior GOK leadership.

March 25 Meeting Participants
--------------


4. (C) On March 25, Secretary Chertoff met with the Amir of
Kuwait, Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al Sabah; the Crown
Prince, Shaykh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al Sabah; the Prime
Minister, Shaykh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al Sabah; the
Foreign Minister, Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al
Sabah; the Minister of Defense and First Deputy Prime
Minister, Shaykh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al Sabah and National
Security Bureau President Shaykh Ahmed Al-Fahed Al-Ahmed Al
Sabah. MOI U/S LTG Ahmed Al-Rujaib and Kuwaiti Ambassador to
the U.S. Shaykh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al Sabah also
attended each of the meetings. CDA Misenheimer, DHS Chief of
Staff Chad Sweet, DHS Middle East Policy Advisor Thomas
Warrick, DHS A/S for Public Affairs Ed Fox and poloff
attended on the U.S. side.

Counterterrorism
--------------


5. (C) Secretary Chertoff discussed DHS's Advance Passenger
Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) systems
with the GOK senior leadership and offered to help develop a
similar system for Kuwait. The Secretary explained that PNR
collects passenger data such as addresses, telephone numbers,
and credit card information from airline records, which DHS
analysts then analyze for potential terrorist connections.
Chertoff said DHS could collect and analyze this information
up to 72 hours before take-off, and that the USG would be
willing to share its findings, subject to arrangements for
handling such information, with the GOK. The Amir, PM and

KUWAIT 00000370 002 OF 004


NSB President all agreed that this would be useful for
Kuwait. Secretary Chertoff offered an exchange of experts to
begin studying and implementing the system, which the PM
recommended begin "immediately." (Note: DHS proposed to
initiate the first exchange of experts within 2-3 weeks. End
note.)


6. (C) The Secretary expressed the USG's extreme concern
about terrorist financing and said America wanted to help
prevent Kuwait from becoming a terror finance platform. The
Amir said all GOK ministries are carefully watching the flow
of money in Kuwait and praised the Ministry of Social Affairs
and Labor (MOSAL) for its strong oversight of Islamic
charities. NSB President Shaykh Ahmed promised to continue
providing the USG with actionable intelligence. The Minister
of Defense, marching to the beat of a different drum, claimed
that there were no dangerous individuals in Kuwait and that
Kuwait was "not a land of terror financiers." (Note: MOSAL
has been ineffective in controlling the final destination of
charitable contributions and the USG suspects some Kuwaiti
charities directly finance terrorist organizations. In
addition, the UNSC 1267 Committee recently designated three
Kuwaiti nationals as terror financiers (ref C). End note.)


7. (C) FM Mohammed Al Sabah lamented that U.S.-led
international efforts to restrict Islamic charities risked
denying aid to the needy. He added that charities could be
powerful tools to fight terrorism and that the "crackdown on
official charities" has harmed the U.S. image and created a
vacuum that is now being filled by Al-Qaeda and other
terrorist groups, especially in Africa. CDA pointed out that
any "crackdown" was aimed only at illegitimate charities, and
that legitimate groups should welcome measures that would
clearly distinguish them from terrorist entities.

Guantanamo Detainees
--------------


8. (C) The Amir raised the issue of the remaining four
Kuwaiti Guantanamo detainees with the Secretary. He noted
their long detention without trial, asked for their release,
and said the GOK would ensure they no longer posed a threat
to U.S. interests. The Secretary relayed U.S. concerns about
the detainees' potential recidivism and the GOK's ability to
effectively monitor their activities. Chertoff said two of
the four detainees would soon face trial in the U.S., but
promised to relay the Amir's request to Secretary of Defense
Gates.


9. (C) PM Nasser Al Sabah, speaking on the same subject,
cautioned that "this is a big issue for us," but allowed that
U.S. courts "will have their say." Interestingly, Shaykh
Nasser recounted that, during a recent GOK official visit to
Guantanamo Bay, the Kuwaiti GTMO detainees refused to meet
with their country's delegation. He attributed this to the
detainees' long detention and poor mental state. (Note: AMB
Salem was a strong proponent of this visit, which took place
on March 18. End note.)

Lebanon/Kuwait Attendance at the Arab Summit
--------------


10. (C) The FM said he discussed the upcoming Arab League
Damascus Summit with Lebanese PM Fouad Siniora on March 24.
He said that, according to Siniora, the SARG invitation to
Damascus was "awkward," and was deliberately intended to be
insulting. The FM said the manner of the invitation was a
clear indication that a Lebanese representative would not be
welcome at the summit.


11. (C) CDA cited U.S. policy on the summit and asked if the
GOK's level of representation was still under review. Shaykh
Mohammed said the GOK carefully deliberated the composition
of its delegation to Damascus, but in the end decided the
Amir would lead. He expressed frustration with the whole
matter and doubted that the summit would produce positive
results, saying that without agreement between Saudi Arabia
and Syria, there can be no solution to the crisis in Lebanon.
The FM concluded that the Amir would be on the ground in
Damascus only very briefly before proceeding to an official
visit to Turkey.

KUWAIT 00000370 003 OF 004



Iraq
--------------


12. (C) Secretary Chertoff expressed the USG's desire to see
economic conditions improve in southern Iraq and asked the
Amir whether Kuwait would soon be importing more Iraqi
commodities. The Amir said "we haven't prevented this," but
then implied that Kuwait did not need Iraqi imports since it
was satisfied with its existing trading partners. The Amir
cited current violence in Basra and the possibility of
refugee flows as reasons why Kuwait would not be relaxing its
border controls with Iraq. The PM echoed this point, and
said Kuwait had neither the infrastructure nor the personnel
to deal with Iraqi refugees. He also expressed GOK fear of
armed Basrawi militias infiltrating Kuwait.

Iran
--------------


13. (C) The PM reiterated Kuwait's objection to an American
military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, predictably
couching the GOK's argument in environmental terms. He
opined that Iran had strategically placed 8 of its nuclear
facilities near borders with neighboring countries and
commented that the Bushehr facility is now in "an advanced
state." Shaykh Nasser said "peace and dialogue is the only
option," and called for the U.S. to allow IAEA Director
General Mohamed ElBaradei enough time to achieve a peaceful
solution to the standoff, noting that he is the only
individual whom all sides trust. Secretary Chertoff
reassured the PM that America is also seeking a peaceful
solution, but advised that the USG would remain firm on this
issue and that it could not accept a nuclear-armed Iran.

CEIP
--------------


14. (C) Secretary Chertoff raised Critical Energy
Infrastructure Protection (CEIP) with Shaykh Ahmed and noted
specific Al-Qaeda threats against the region's energy
infrastructure. Charge referenced the recently-concluded
Gulf Security Dialogue (GSD) (ref A),which included CEIP
discussions, and called for a mechanism to broaden our
bilateral cooperation in this area. (Note: During the GSD,
the GOK said it would not sign a long-pending MOU with the
U.S. on CEIP, as no such agreement was needed to allow for
closer cooperation, more information sharing, and an exchange
of experts. End note). Shaykh Ahmed said he shared USG
concerns about potential Al-Qaeda or Iranian attacks against
Kuwait's energy infrastructure. Nevertheless, he claimed
that Kuwait had already implemented "70 percent" of the USG's
CEIP recommendations and declined further discussion of a
CEIP MOU. (Note: To date, the GOK has taken a strictly
hardware-centric approach to CEIP and has not implemented any
of the more complex, inter-ministerial, systemic upgrades
recommended by the USG. End note.)

Secure Borders, Open Doors
--------------


15. (C) NSB President Ahmed Al-Fahed cautioned that U.S.
security procedures at its ports of entry were "destroying"
America's image. He said Kuwaitis were opting to travel and
study elsewhere and asked what the U.S. was doing to remedy
this problem. Secretary Chertoff said the USG shares
Kuwait's concern about this issue, but offered that such
negative perceptions had not kept pace with reality. He
cited the return of tourist travel to pre-9/11 levels, as
well as improvements in the visa issuance and immigration
processes. Nevertheless, the Secretary promised to
investigate ways to improve traveler amenities, especially in
secondary inspection areas. He also noted that improved
biometric procedures and the increased use of e-passports
would reduce the number of travelers referred to secondary
inspection.


16. (C) The FM queried Secretary Chertoff on U.S.-Mexico
border control efforts. Shaykh Mohammed showed great
interest in the USG's use of unmanned aerial vehicles and
ground-based radar to monitor its border and noted the

KUWAIT 00000370 004 OF 004


similarities in terrain between Kuwait and parts of the
American Southwest. The FM responded positively to a DHS
invitation to have Kuwaiti officials observe technical
demonstrations in the U.S. Shaykh Mohammed said Kuwait had
installed observation posts every three kilometers along its
border, and that MOI border guards utilize infrared sights
with an effective range of five kilometers. According to the
FM, these posts have direct communications with roving
guards.

Domestic Politics
--------------


17. (C) FM Dr. Mohammed explained the Amir's March 19
decision to dissolve Parliament (ref D),saying that Kuwaiti
MPs had become obsessed with pork barrel legislation and
constituent grandstanding. He added that the GOK was
committed to limiting the role of tribes in the May 17
elections since they have proven to be too parochial and
myopic. The PM, commenting on the upcoming elections, said
he was hoping women would comprise 10-12 percent of the new
Parliament. (Note: Kuwaiti analysts at this point generally
predict that no women will be elected in the upcoming
elections, noting that the new 5 electoral district system
reduces their chances. End note.)

********************************************* *
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/
********************************************* *
Lenderking