GOK TO A/S WELCH: "OUR AID IS ADEQUATE, BUT WE'LL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000385

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARP AND NEA/I

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2018
TAGS: PREL PINR KPAL PTER KU IZ IR
SUBJECT: GOK TO A/S WELCH: "OUR AID IS ADEQUATE, BUT WE'LL
GIVE MORE IF NECESSARY"

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


1. (C) Summary: On April 2, NEA A/S Welch met separately with
the Kuwaiti Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Economic Advisor
to the Amir to discuss Israel/Palestinians, Iraq,
Syria/Lebanon, and Iran. A/S Welch pressed all three
contacts to enhance Kuwait's political and financial support
for President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority. The GOK
called for more transparency in Israeli/Palestinian peace
negotiations, a lifting of Israel's blockade of Gaza and an
end to Hamas rocket attacks against Israel. The GOK
reiterated its support for Palestinian and Iraqi humanitarian
relief efforts and urged the USG to speak to the Israeli
Government in defense of Christian and Muslim rights to live
in Jerusalem. On Iraq, the PM was unusually supportive of PM
Maliki and said the GOK "talks to him regularly."
Separately, the GOK expressed its disappointment in the
behavior of Bashar Al-Asad and complained that Tehran was
attempting to force Kuwait into a dependence on Iranian
water. End summary.

Meeting Participants
--------------


2. (C) On April 2, NEA A/S Welch met with Kuwaiti Crown
Prince Shaykh Nawaf Al Sabah, Prime Minister Shaykh Nasser Al
Sabah and Amiri Economic Advisor Dr. Yousef El-Ebraheem to
discuss Israel/Palestinians, Iraq, Syria/Lebanon, and Iran,
as well as Iraqi PM Nouri Al-Maliki's recent action against
Shi'a militias (reported septel).

Israel/Palestine Negotiations: "Let the World Know"
-------------- --------------


3. (C) A/S Welch began by updating the Crown Prince (CP) on
peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian
Authority (PA),and highlighted some of the progress being
made. Shaykh Nawaf questioned the secret nature of these
discussions and encouraged the USG to inform the world of any
positive developments. The CP praised the Bush
Administration's two-state solution, but complained about its
perceived lack of progress. He called for Israel to lift its
blockade of Gaza, and said that Hamas should stop rocket
attacks against Israel.


4. (C) A/S Welch urged the GOK to increase its political and
financial support for the PA. Shaykh Nawaf said that Kuwait
"never hesitates" to do its part for the Palestinians and
added that the Amir regularly discusses Palestinian aid with
other heads of state, including (a very reluctant)
Ahmedinejad. A/S Welch noted, however, that Ahmedinejad was
not reluctant to smuggle weapons to the Palestinians through
Egypt. Shaykh Nawaf responded that the GOE had proven unable
to stop this.


5. (C) The Prime Minister (PM) urged the USG to speak to the
Israeli Government in defense of Christian and Muslim rights
to live in Jerusalem. He speculated that involving Israeli
Arabs in the governance of Jerusalem might help solve some of
its problems. The PM observed, however, that the location of
the Wailing Wall and its religious importance to the Jewish
community would continue to obstruct peace efforts among the
three faiths.


6. (C) The PM welcomed continued U.S. high-level engagement
with the GOK and the USG's broader peace initiatives in the
region. He questioned, however, whether the Israeli
government really desired peace. A/S Welch assured the PM
that the Israelis do indeed want peace, but explained that
they are very concerned about regional instability. A/S
Welch urged the GOK to act now in support of the PA, both
politically and financially, and to encourage its Arab
neighbors to do the same. Shaykh Nasser said, "We have
fulfilled our obligations to the Palestinians, but for
further humanitarian needs, we will not hesitate to provide
aid." The Crown Prince added that the GOK had experienced
difficulties in assisting the PA in the past because of
financial transfer delays at Israeli banks.

Iraq: Iraq Needs a Marshall Plan
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7. (C) A/S Welch called for the Arab world to embrace Iraq as
a brother and stressed that Ahmedinejad should not be the
only regional head of state to visit Baghdad. Shaykh Nasser
said that Kuwait had a very "sensitive" relationship with
Iraq and added that this relationship is currently largely
humanitarian in nature. He explained that Kuwaiti aid is
transferred from the Red Crescent Society through the
Humanitarian Operations Center (currently headed by Ali
Al-Mu'min, Kuwait's Ambassador-designate to Iraq). Shaykh
Nasser lamented, though, that in terms of getting aid to
Iraq, "nobody wants to go, even the Iranians." He added that
the GOK is "doing what it should do" and that the Iraqis are
"happy" with the level of Kuwaiti aid. Shaykh Nasser was
unusually positive in his comments on Iraqi PM Maliki,
however. He said, "We support Maliki," and asserted that the
GOK "talks to him regularly."


8. (C) Yousef El-Ebraheem suggested that southern Iraq
requires its own Marshall Plan to foster economic
development, job creation, and political stability. He said
the 2009 Arab Economic Summit, which Kuwait will host, would
be an appropriate forum to discuss this. Concerning Kuwaiti
foreign development assistance for Iraq, El-Ebraheem cited
factionalism and poor ministerial coordination as factors
contributing to Kuwait's modest disbursements thus far. He
said the GOI needs to make it easier for Iraq's neighbors to
provide foreign assistance for development projects by
streamlining its bureaucracy, clearly defining ministerial
roles and responsibilities, and creating mechanisms to enable
effective project contracting. (Note: Kuwait has disbursed
only USD 21 million of the USD 575 million it has pledged to
Iraq thus far. End note.)

Syria/Lebanon: Errant Asad continues to Insult Fellow Arabs
-------------- --------------


9. (C) A/S Welch updated Shaykh Nawaf on the aftermath of the
Arab League Summit and the current situation in Lebanon. In
reply, the CP said that the GOK is in constant communication
with PM Siniora and is providing "all the support that we can
give." Shaykh Nasser observed that the leaders of Kuwait,
Saudi Arabia and Egypt are all fathers to President Bashar
Al-Asad, while the leaders of Morocco and Jordan are his
brothers. According to the PM, Asad's Arab "family" is
extremely disappointed with his behavior and non-compliance
with their wishes.

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


10. (C) The PM inquired about USG dealings with Iran. He
commented that Kuwait has a good relationship with the GOI,
and said that "We deal with Iran in a respectable and frank
way." He added that the GOK regularly encourages the
Iranians to allow greater IAEA access to their nuclear
facilities. He also said the GOK had advised the Iranians to
accept nuclear material from the Russians and not to trust
Iranian technology in its pursuit of nuclear energy.
Nevertheless, Shaykh Nasser complained about Iran's attempts
to strong-arm Kuwait into importing more of its water in
order to increase Kuwaiti dependence on Iran.


11. (U) A/S Welch cleared this cable.

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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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Misenheimer