KUWAIT'S FM MAKES HISTORIC, ALBEIT HASTY, VISIT TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000177 SIPDIS NEA/ARP, NEA/I E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/14/2018 TAGS: PREL KU IZ SUBJECT: KUWAIT'S FM MAKES HISTORIC, ALBEIT HASTY, VISIT TO BAGHDAD REF: A. KUWAIT 153 ¶B. KUWAIT 148 ¶C. KUWAIT 125 Classified By: POLITICAL Counselor Pete O'Donohue for reasons 1.4 b and d ¶1. U) Summary: Kuwait's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Al Sabah -- in what amounted to the most senior visit by a Kuwaiti official since Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion -- traveled to Baghdad February 26 where he met with Prime Minister Maliki and Foreign Minister Zebari. The FM also delivered a letter from the Amir for President Talabani, who was out of the country. Not to miss a symbolic opportunity, the FM staged his visit on Kuwait's Liberation Day (marking its liberation from Saddam Hussein's invading Iraqi forces),which falls one day after Kuwait's February 25 National Day. Although, to date, the GOK has shared little about outcomes from the visit, there is a clear sense that it represents one more step towards cementing a normal bilateral relationship with Kuwait's larger neighbor. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Given the historic nature of the visit, Kuwait's media was surprisingly muted in its coverage of the story. KUNA, Kuwait's leading press agency, duly noted that the FM's meetings with PM Maliki and FM Zebari focused on "a series of issues" intended to enhance the overall bilateral relationship at all levels. The press also noted that the visit is expected to pave the way for future high-level visits between the two countries, including the convening of an Iraqi-Kuwait Joint Committee intended to focus on bilateral problems; the first meeting of the committee is anticipated to take place in Baghdad in March. KUNA noted that the Amir's letter to President Talabani proposed ways to improve bilateral RELATIONS and also discussed ways to enhance inter-Arab economic relations. According to reports, the FM also congratulated PM Maliki on the success of the recent Iraqi provincial elections, "stressing that these elections put Iraq in the rank of free and developed countries." ¶3. (C) Perhaps indicative of their security concerns, the GOK was surprisingly coy about the visit. During their February 19 meeting (ref A) FM Dr. Mohammed acknowledged only that he intended to travel "soon" and expressed some pique over GOI pre-emptive declarations of senior GOK travel to Baghdad. Subsequently, Kuwaiti military intelligence elements contacted Embassy's DAO to request logistical support, followed by a phone call from Kuwait's Ambassador to Iraq, Ali Al Mou'min, to POLCOUNS to request that the USG provide helicopter assistance to move the FM from the airport to the IZ for his meetings, in order to ensure the FM's security (an undertaking which, in the event, Embassy Baghdad generously carried out). Al Mou'min was able to tell POLCOUNS only that the FM planned to deliver a letter "from the Amir" to President Talabani and to have lunch with FM Zebari. Following an SMS from the Ambassador to the FM, a formal request for support via diplomatic note was forthcoming. Embassy will query GOK interlocutors in coming days for their take on the outcomes from this visit and will provide updates via septel. ¶4. (C) Comment: The FM's stop in Baghdad was one of a number of calls the FM made to regional capitals (Muscat, Cairo, Damascus, Beirut) last week aimed, it appears, at following up on pan-Arab diplomatic reconciliation and economic initiatives arising from the Kuwait-hosted Arab Economic Summit in January. The FM's visit to Baghdad had an extra dimension of historic proportions, however, given the difficult history between the two neighbors. As noted refs B and C, progress on re-starting a normal bilateral relationship has been slow and difficult. Several recent visits by Iraqi officials have stirred hope that the relationship has reached a new and potentially more productive stage. The FM's visit appears to signal that, in the GOK's view, the time has come for the two partners to put their respective cards on the table. That said, the FM's hastily arranged arrival on Liberation Day with a letter from the Amir for an absent Talabani signals most notably that Kuwait will assert its agenda at a time of its own choosing despite Iraqi kibbutzing. Whether or not Iraq sends an ambassador to Kuwait in the near future will play a significant part in shaping Kuwait's perception of the FM's visit over the longer term as either a groundbreaking new start, or a dramatic and positive GOK gesture that was not reciprocated. End Comment. KUWAIT 00000177 002 OF 002 ********************************************* ********* For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: visit Kuwait's Classified Website at: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Kuwa it ********************************************* ********* JONES