VISA REVOCATIONS: KUWAIT

S E C R E T KUWAIT 000166



NOFORN

SIPDIS



FOR CA/VO/L/C



E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/24/2020

TAGS: KU, CVIS, CMGT

SUBJECT: VISA REVOCATIONS: KUWAIT



REF: A. STATE 10533

B. STATE 11763



Classified By: Classified by: Consul Pat WALSH for reasons 1.4 b and d

.



1. (U) Action request for Department para 7.



2. (SBU) Ref A was a list of prudential revocations of visas

issued in Kuwait. Ref B invited posts to notify VO/L/C of

any sensitive cases and to delay notifying the applicant

pending a response from Washington. Post appreciates the

opportunity to reclama and wishes to bring one such case to

the attention of the Department.



3. (C) The applicant in question is Dr. Walid Al-Tabtabae,

DPOB: April 3, 1964, Kuwait. The applicant possesses the

following non-immigrant visa: B1/B2 issued August 27, 2001,

expires August 26, 2011. The following CLASS hits are

entered in his name: One 00 hit entered September 24, 2004,

referencing TSC record 1382195, one P3B hit and one VRVK hit,

both entered December 30, 2009.

4. (C) Al-Tabtabae is a six-time Member of Kuwait's National

Assembly, in which he serves as Chairman of the Human Rights

Committee and is a member (Rapporteur) of the Legislative and

Legal Affairs Committee as well as the Negative Phenomena

Committee.

5. (C) Al-Tabtabae is an outspoken critic of U.S. policies on

Israel-Palestine and opposes the normalization of relations

with Israel. In October 2009, he was barred entry into Egypt

for having illegally entering the Gaza Strip via tunnels

under the Rafah border. Al-Tabtabae is is a leading

Salafist-leaning member of the Kuwaiti Parliament, is a

frequent and vocal critic of U.S. policies, and has a very

high media profile. Kuwaiti Salafists, with whom Al-Tabtabae

is usually associated, are ultra-conservative and oppose many

aspects of U.S. foreign policy, but like most Kuwaitis for

the most part favor a continued U.S. military presence in

Kuwait as a bulwark against the ambitions of covetous larger

neighbors.

6. (S/NF) Though Al-Tabtabae is often at odds politically

with the United States, and has met with senior members of

Hamas, Post is not aware of credible evidence indicating his

participation in or facilitation of terrorism, and notes that

the single intel piece available through TIDE indicates only

an indirect linkage, and source is of low quality.

7. (C) In revoking Al-Tabtabae,s visa, we risk creating a

public cause clbre in Kuwait that would enable critics of

U.S. policy like Al-Tabtabae and his fellow-travelers in the

ultra-conservative/Salafist movement in Kuwait to portray the

revocation as punishment of those who disagree with U.S.

policy by labeling them &terrorists.8

8. (C) Action Request: Post requests Department reconsider

this revocation.

WILLIAMS



********************************************* *********

For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit:

visit Kuwait's Classified Website at:



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

********************************************* *********

WILLIAMS