KUWAIT HAS NOT YET CONSIDERED NEW AID FOR PAKISTAN

UNCLAS KUWAIT 000555

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF EAID PHUM PK KU
SUBJECT: KUWAIT HAS NOT YET CONSIDERED NEW AID FOR PAKISTAN
IDPS

REF: A. SECSTATE 55536

B. KUWAIT 539


1. (U) Econoff followed up on the possibility of Kuwait aid
for Pakistan's IDPs with Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Counselor Rashid Al-Hajri on June 1. Al-Hajri said the GoK's
new Cabinet, which met first on May 31, had not yet
considered the issue of relief for Pakistani IDPs. Officials
from the Kuwait Red Crescent Society and the Kuwait Fund also
stated they had not heard of this issue being considered by
the new Cabinet yet.


2. (SBU) Mohamed Hassan, International Relations Supervisor
for the Kuwait Red Crescent Society, told Econoff that the
KRCS was making an assessment of the situation in Pakistan in
coordination with the Pakistan Red Crescent Society and the
Kuwait Embassy in Islamabad. Following the assessment, the
KRCS Board will make a decision on assistance for the IDPs.


3. (U) Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development Deputy
Director told Econoff that reconstruction assistance for
earthquake victims in Jammu and Kashmir was held up by
concerns about the security situation in Pakistan. He said
the USD 49 million assistance project had been approved but
that Kuwait Fund officials had not been able to travel to
Pakistan to sign the final papers because of the uncertain
security situation. He added that a hydroelectric project in
Neelam Jhelam could not proceed until the earthquake
reconstruction loan had been signed.

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For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit:
visit Kuwait's Classified Website at:

http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Kuwa it
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JONES