US embassy cable - 04KUWAIT474

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000474 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2014 
TAGS: EFIN, PREL, KU, IZ 
SUBJECT: COORDINATING WITH THE UK ON IRAQI DEBT REDUCTION 
 
REF: STATE 026336 
 
Classified By: CDA FRANK URBANCIC; REASON 1.4 (B,D) 
 
1.  (C) UK Deputy Head of Mission in Kuwait Jamie Bowden 
reported to EconChief on February 8 that the UK Embassy here 
did not intend to demarche GOK on a reduction in Iraqi debt 
as described Reftel.  According to Bowden, debt reduction for 
Iraq had been discussed January 27 at a meeting in Kuwait 
between U.K. Special Representative for Iraq Sir Jeremy 
Greenstock and HH Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad 
Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.  Sir Jeremy had met with the Prime 
Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Sheikh 
Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah at the Kuwaitis' request to 
discuss Iraq in general.  The debt issue had come up in the 
course of that conversation at the Prime Minister's office. 
 
2.  (C) Bowden said that the UK mission in Kuwait had 
confirmed with the Foreign Office that it would be 
"counter-productive" to revisit the debt issue at the lower, 
bi-lateral level and so soon after the Greenstock meeting. 
 
3.  (C) According to Bowden, the Prime Minister made these 
points in his January 27 meeting with Special Representative 
Greenstock: 
 
  -  Kuwait would work with others to seek a significant 
reduction in Iraq's debt 
 
  -  Kuwait is prepared to start that process 
 
  -  Only a sovereign Iraq government would qualify as 
Kuwait's interlocutor 
 
  -  The negotiations should be in the context of a Paris 
Club approach 
 
  -  Any arrangement to reduce Iraq's debt would require 
National Assembly approval 
 
4.  (C) Bowden said he saw nothing new in the Prime 
Minister's approach to Iraq debt reduction and remarked that 
the points tracked with earlier comments to the press by 
various GOK spokesmen. 
URBANCIC