5/8/08 AMBASSADOR MEETING WITH KUWAITI FM: MOSUL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 000508 SIPDIS NEA/ARP, NEA/I E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2018 TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL PTER KDRG KU SUBJECT: 5/8/08 AMBASSADOR MEETING WITH KUWAITI FM: MOSUL ATTACKS; CT COOPERATION; IRAQ; LEBANON; TRAFFIC INCIDENT, REF: KUWAIT 502 Classified By: Classified by: Ambassador Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 b and d. ¶1. (C) Summary: In a May 8 meeting with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Dr. Mohammad Al Sabah, her first call ON the Kuwaiti FM Dr. Mohammad Al Sabah since presenting credentials April 20, Ambassador stressed the need for GOK action to improve CT performance and cooperation following reported suicide attacks by Kuwaitis (including one former GTMO detainee) this week. The FM responded that the GOK awaits forensic confirmation of the facts, but takes the matter very seriously and is reviewing its security policies and framing corrective steps. They also discussed the aftermath of the April 21-22 Iraq Neighbors Conference, including the Lebanon side-meeting. Dr. Mohammad noted that the GOK may soon advise its citizens to depart Lebanon. Finally, the Ambassador conveyed an apology for a May 5 traffic incident in Kuwait City involving U.S. military personnel. End summary. ¶2. (C) ON May 8 Ambassador, accompanied by DCM, met with Kuwaiti FM Dr. Mohammad Al Sabah primarily to discuss GOK response to recent reports of suicide attacks carried out by Kuwaiti citizens in Iraq. The Minister was accompanied by U/S Khalid al-Jarallah, Coordination and Follow-up Director Khalid al-Muqamis, Americas Bureau Director Ali al-Sammak, Office Director and notetaker. Mosul Suicide Attack(s) and CT Cooperation -------------- ¶3. (C) The Ambassador stressed the urgent need for GOK follow-up in the aftermath of reported suicide attacks in Mosul carried out by Kuwaitis - one of them a previous GTMO detainee - as well as an outrageous May 7 al-Qabas interview in which 1267 designee Mubarak al-Bathali glorified terrorism. She emphasized that Kuwaiti suicide bombers in Iraq were a "clear and present danger" both to Iraq and to Kuwait itself, and that Washington is deeply concerned at the current state of U.S.-Kuwaiti bilateral CT cooperation across the board: "We need you to manage the threat to our troops, and to your own interests." ¶4. (C) Dr. Mohammad replied that the GOK took the reported attacks in Iraq very seriously. While confirmation via forensic evidence was needed to confirm the reported attacks by al-Dosari, al-Harbi and former GTMO detainee Al-Ajmi, the Council of Ministers met in extraordinary session the previous day to discuss what went wrong. The ministers focused ON the obvious question - "How could these people slip our monitoring and carry out this terrible crime" - and begin laying out corrective steps. As a start, all current internal security measures are to be revisited. He stressed the need for continuing U.S.-Kuwaiti CT cooperation: "We are in this together." ¶5. (C) The FM briefly reviewed Ajmi,s case: His passport had been confiscated long ago, but he sued the government successfully and got it back. Dr. Mohammad complained that some judges "don,t give a damn" ON such issues, and "we need to get them ON our side." He predicted that the Ajmi case would be a major spur in the right direction. ¶6. (C) The Minister remarked approvingly that the reaction within Kuwait had been loud, clear and virtually unanimous: Kuwait,s media and political classes are criticizing the GOK for the laxity that allowed Ajmi and the others to carry out their attacks. He stressed that, unlike reactions seen elsewhere in the region, Ajmi and the others were not being treated like heroes in Kuwait. Both in the media and in the meeting tents of the 300 parliamentary candidates, they are being harshly denounced as criminals and murderers. ¶7. (C) Even Ajmi,s father has spoken out in the media to denounce those who corrupted his son. continued the Minister. He also welcomed the reaction from Iraqi officials, including PM al-Maliki and Muwaffaq al-Rubai, stressing that the three reported Kuwaiti attackers were criminals, and their actions would not affect Iraq-Kuwait relations. ON the possibility of a GOK "blood money" payment to the families of the Mosul attack victims, he expressed the "personal" view that this would be inappropriate because the attackers were not acting in any sense ON behalf of the Kuwaiti state. KUWAIT 00000508 002 OF 003 ¶8. (C) Dr. Mohammad informed the Ambassador that the remaining seven former GTMO detainees in Kuwait had all come in and turned in their own passports in the aftermath of the reported Mosul attacks. All continued attending weekly meetings, accompanied by their families, with GOK security personnel every Saturday. ¶9. (C) The Kuwaiti FM reiterated his familiar view that the Guantanamo Bay detention center is a powerful recruitment tool for the terrorists and should be closed as soon as possible. He expressed alarm at the "radioactive" and unceasing rhetoric of Sami al-Hajj following his release from GTMO as a further recruiting impetus for terrorism. He concurred with the Ambassador,s reminder that al-Hajj,s allegations of torture and desecration of Korans were not credible to an objective observer, but stressed that many Muslims would take them at face value. Because of GTMO, "you are losing the strategic war," he concluded. Noting that he was speaking "off the record," Dr. Mohammad expressed his view that the USG would do better to close GTMO and risk facing the detainees again ON a battlefield: "Better to kill them there than make heroes and martyrs of them in custody." ¶10. (C) ON the al-Qabas interview, the FM declared that Bathali is "a certified lunatic" and probably lying outright. Nevertheless, he will be held accountable for any terrorist entanglements and has been arrested by authorities because of the interview and is currently being interrogated. The Ambassador noted that the May 12 visit of S/CT Coordinator Dailey would afford an excellent opportunity to review U.S.-Kuwait CT cooperation. Iraq -------------- ¶11. (C) Amb Jones expressed thanks ON behalf of the USG for Kuwait,s hosting of the April 21-22 Iraq Neighbors Conference, as well as the important bilateral follow-on discussions ON May 4 (reported septel). She underscored the importance of continued U.S.-Kuwaiti cooperation in support of shared security goals in Iraq. ¶12. (C) Dr. Mohammad remarked that the Neighbors Conference had gone well, but the GOK remained "confused" about Qatar,s non-participation. While the GOQ had accepted the invitation well in advance, he said, the Qataris "apparently discovered just eight hours before the conference that Qatar does not actually border Iraq," as they had proffered only this geographic rationale for not showing up. Lebanon -------------- ¶13. (C) The FM noted that Qatar did take part in the Lebanon-related meeting ON the margins of the Iraq conference, and - more importantly - France invited Syrian FM Walid Muallem "at our request." He lamented lack of results, however, remarking that "Syria again did not miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." ¶14. (C) Remarking that the current situation ON the ground in Lebanon is worse than the 70s, the FM declared that Kuwait is "seriously concerned" and is likely to advise Kuwaiti citizens to leave. He confirmed that PM Siniora and Saad Hariri had both recently visited Kuwait, and worried aloud that Hizbollah would now seize any excuse to assassinate Siniora. May 5 Traffic Incident With U.S. Military Personnel -------------- -------------- ¶15. (C) The Ambassador apologized for a May 5 traffic incident in downtown Kuwait involving Kuwaiti motorists and a bus carrying U.S. military personnel (reftel). She emphasized that the American soldiers would be held accountable and face prosecution for any offenses confirmed by the ongoing investigation. She added that U.S. authorities would act to ensure no repetition of such an incident. The FM accepted the apology, noting that "we understand these things can happen, but it must not happen again." He stated that the GOK was "trying hard" to keep the incident from being seized upon by candidates in the ongoing parliamentary election campaign. Without providing details, KUWAIT 00000508 003 OF 003 he said that Kuwaiti military leaders would be requesting "certain assurances and measures" to prevent such incidents in future. AHLC; Afghanistan -------------- ¶16. (C) The Ambassador also thanked the Minister for Kuwait,s $80m pledge at the recent London AHLC meeting, and informed him of pending USG outreach seeking further Kuwaiti assistance for Afghanistan. ********************************************* * 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/ ********************************************* * Jones