US embassy cable - 04KUWAIT1500

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 KUWAIT 001500 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/NGA, S/CT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 1.6X1 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, MARR, ASEC, IZ, SY, SA, IR, KU 
SUBJECT: (S) DNSA TOWNSEND PRESSES GOK TO DO MORE AGAINST 
EXTREMISTS 
 
Classified By: CDA FRANK URBANCIC; REASON 1.4 (B,C,D). 
 
1.  (S)  INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY:  DNSA Townsend met with 
the Prime Minister May 4, delivered the President's letter to 
the Amir, and pressed for more aggressive action against 
extremists.  The PM instructed his security services to 
cooperate strongly with the U.S., but was clearly focused on 
maintaining "calm" inside Kuwait.  He insisted the GOK's 
approach of monitoring and rehabilitating extremists was 
working, saying "if we use force, it will create violence," 
mostly against Americans.  He urged strong action against 
Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiyya satellite TV stations, which he 
said are inciting hatred and violence.  The PM also 
complained of practices that make the U.S. military 
vulnerable in Kuwait:  convoys moving without notifying MOI, 
and soldiers visiting restaurants and shopping malls in 
uniform. 
 
2.  (S) In a follow-on meeting with the Chairman of the 
National Security Bureau, who had attended the meeting with 
the PM, Ms. Townsend reiterated more starkly that the USG is 
not satisfied with the leadership of Kuwait State Security 
(KSS).  She also met with the Justice Minister, who said he 
was receptive to increasing cooperation against terrorist 
finance.  END INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY. 
 
3.  (S/NF) PARTICIPANTS:  Deputy National Security Advisor 
for Counter-Terrorism Frances Townsend was accompanied by 
Charge, NSC Director Nicholas Rasmussen, Arabic interpreter 
Gemal Helal, ORCA Chief, and A/DCM (Notetaker).  Prime 
Minister Shaykh Sabah al-Ahmed was accompanied by Chairman of 
the National Security Bureau (NSB) Sabah al-Khaled, MFA 
Undersecretary Amb. Khaled al-Jarallah, the PM's Office 
Director Amb. Ahmed al-Fahd, and the NSB Chairman's Office 
Director Thamer al-Sabah.  Minister of Justice Ahmed Baqer 
al-Abdullah met with the delegation alone.  Sabah al-Khaled 
and Thamer held a follow-on meeting with the delegation. 
(NOTE:  Only the meeting with the PM was conducted through 
the interpreter.  END NOTE.) 
 
(U) PRIME MINISTER 
------------------ 
 
4.  (S) After a cordial exchange of greetings in which the PM 
congratulated Ms. Townsend on her appointment as Advisor to 
the President for Homeland Security, she gave him the 
President's letter to the Amir and Mr. Helal read an Arabic 
translation aloud.  Stressing that she came in the spirit of 
strong friendship and partnership between the two countries, 
Ms. Townsend urged the GOK to be more aggressive against 
Kuwaiti extremists who are supporting violence in Iraq.  She 
said KSS has competent people but lacks strong leadership. 
She noted that the U.S. had learned from its own mistakes 
about the need to take strong actions internally against 
extremists.  She added that the Saudi crackdown could lead 
terrorists to turn their sights on Kuwait, including the 
ruling family here.  In Saudi Arabia, extremists had demanded 
the withdrawal of U.S. forces, but when that occurred, they 
shifted to target Saudis and the royal family.  Closing her 
initial presentation, Ms. Townsend noted that we have 
provided information to the KSS, but we are looking for more 
cooperation from the Kuwaiti side in acting on that 
information.  She told the PM that his leadership would be 
enormously helpful in inspiring KSS to work with the U.S. 
more effectively. 
 
5.  (S) The PM promised to convey the letter to the Amir.  He 
emphasized the excellent bilateral relationship and Kuwait's 
commitment to close security cooperation with the U.S. 
However, he insisted that the GOK's approach of monitoring 
and trying to rehabilitate extremists was more appropriate 
here than confronting terrorists directly with force as be 
believes the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have done:  this is a 
small country, the Government knows everyone and stays in 
close touch with society; few in Kuwait wish harm to 
Americans; the GOK cannot jail people who have not violated 
the law, but it does jail violators, as in the case of Hamed 
al-Ali who was recently arrested "just for talking" and is 
being prosecuted. 
 
6.  (S) Sabah al-Ahmed made clear that his focus is on 
maintaining "calm" inside Kuwait:  nobody is allowed to cross 
the Kuwait-Iraq border to do harm; the GOK cannot prevent 
citizens from traveling to Syria (and thence to Iraq), but it 
monitors those who do so; "if we use force, it will create 
violence" mostly against "guests" (read:  Americans); "if it 
is calm here, there is no need for a different approach"; no 
American has been harmed here in over a year; it is true that 
some Kuwaitis have been killed fighting in Iraq but if 
anybody were to attack Americans in Kuwait, "obviously our 
position would be very different." 
 
7.  (S) DNSA Townsend reiterated to the PM that our two 
countries can do more to identify and disrupt those who would 
do us harm.  She cited Jaber al-Jalahma as an extremist who 
needs to be stopped.  Sabah was familiar with Jalahma and 
insisted "we have him under control." 
 
8.  (S) The PM voiced two complaints: 
-- Al-Jazeera satellite TV station broadcasts from Qatar, a 
GCC country that claims friendship for the United States, yet 
it is inciting hatred and violence against the U.S. and 
against Saudi Arabia with no apparent detriment to its 
relationship to the United States.  It is regrettable that 
this is sponsored by a GCC member; he had discussed this with 
the Qatari Amir recently.  The U.S. should use all its 
influence forcefully and relentlessly to stop it.  The same 
problem exists with Al-Arabiyya in the UAE.  Ms. Townsend 
replied that the USG has addressed this concern very directly 
with Qatar. 
 
-- U.S. military forces have crossed to/from Iraq without 
going through border controls; some 1,197 U.S. military 
convoys have been reported moving in Kuwait without 
notification to MOI, which thus could not provide protection; 
U.S. soldiers frequent restaurants and shopping malls in 
uniform, making themselves obvious targets.  The Charge 
thanked the PM for Kuwait's protection, noted that an MOU on 
border controls is close to being signed, and promised to 
remind the military to follow existing procedures.  He said 
however that this dialogue on logistics should not be allowed 
to detract from the issue of extremists operating in Kuwait. 
 
9.  (C) The PM mentioned that according to a tribal shaykh in 
Syria (later identified as Ahmed al-Jarba of the Shammar), 
the Syrians had caught nine Bangladeshis who were on their 
way to Iraq to fight the Coalition; they had been paid one 
thousand dollars each. 
 
10.  (S/NF) Towards the end of the meeting, the PM made a 
point of stating plainly, while looking directly at the NSB 
Chairman, that he wanted NSB and KSS to give "serious 
cooperation" to the USG on counter-terrorism.  He promised to 
tell the same thing to KSS, which was not at the meeting.  He 
concluded by conveying thanks to the President on behalf of 
the Amir, and vowing that Kuwait will remain a solid friend 
of the United States. 
 
(SBU) NSB CHAIRMAN 
------------------ 
 
11.  (S) In the follow-on meeting with NSB Chairman Sabah 
al-Khaled, Ms. Townsend repeated her message more bluntly: 
the U.S. is not satisfied with the leadership of the KSS 
Director.  Calm in Kuwait is not enough while Americans are 
being killed in Iraq.  It is of "the utmost urgency" to 
stabilize Iraq in advance of the June 30 transfer of 
authority.  The Chairman agreed with the need for stability 
in Iraq; he described the PM's instruction to cooperate with 
the U.S. against terrorism as a "loud, clear message" and 
promised to follow up with KSS and MOI, its parent ministry. 
Noting that he participates in weekly national security 
meetings with MOD, MOI and the National Guard, he pledged 
that Kuwait would "work as a team" with the U.S. 
 
12.  (S) Ms. Townsend handed Sabah al-Khaled a one-page list 
of Kuwaiti extremists the U.S. is particularly worried about; 
this was the same list she had given Kuwait's ambassador in 
Washington on April 29.  Topping the list was Jalahma, who 
she said has committed crimes in many countries; "we would be 
happy to take him off your hands."  Sabah al-Khaled replied 
that KSS has "sat with" Jalahma often and follows him; some 
extremists no longer trust Jalahma, perceiving that he has 
gone over to the Government's side.  The Chairman pointed out 
that Kuwaiti law constrains the security forces:  a suspect 
can only be held for four days, then must be turned over to 
the prosecutor who can detain him for 21 days, renewable one 
time; neither KSS nor NSB has any control over the prosecutor 
or the court.  The Chairman brought up a complaint Ms. 
Townsend had made to the Kuwaiti ambassador, that another 
extremist on the list, Mohammed al-Dosari, was using a 
cellphone in jail.  "We are reviewing our regulations," Sabah 
al-Kha 
led said, adding "we will follow this list and share 
information." 
 
13.  (S) The Chairman said some Kuwaitis are financing 
"mujahedin" and the GOK is trying to track the money, but 
that is difficult because it moves outside the banking 
system.  He noted that GCC Interior Ministers were meeting in 
Kuwait the same day to sign a counter-terrorism agreement. 
He emphasized that the GOK is working bilaterally, within the 
GCC, and within the Arab League.  It is also providing 
information to the UNSC committee established pursuant to 
Resolution 1373. 
 
14.  (S) Sabah al-Khaled expressed concern that Iran could 
see Kuwait as a soft target and activate sleeper cells or use 
Hizballah or Shiites from Bahrain or the Eastern Province of 
Saudi Arabia.  Surrounded by Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, 
Kuwait finds itself in "a triangle of problems."  There are 
many threats to Kuwait, from the Far East, Usama Bin Laden, 
Ayman al-Zawaheri, and others.  He was very concerned about 
terrorists' evolving tactics and the discovery in Turkey of 
"bottles of chemical liquids." 
 
(U) JUSTICE MINISTER 
-------------------- 
 
15. (S) Justice Minister Ahmed Baqer al-Abdullah, a Salafi 
and the only elected member of parliament in the Cabinet, 
began his meeting with Ms. Townsend by stating that all 
Kuwaitis welcome cooperation with the United States and 
recognize what it has done for them.  Most Kuwaitis and most 
Muslims, he continued, despise terrorism, which is destroying 
the image of Islam in the West.  It is important to 
understand the reasons for terrorism, first and foremost the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict which needs to be resolved. 
That does not justify terrorism, which is a crime regardless 
of its cause.  In Kuwait, "good Muslim scholars negotiate 
with" extremists, teaching that Islam is a religion of peace 
and that Kuwaitis should cooperate with other nations. 
 
16.  (S) The Minister highlighted the importance of 
transparency in the finances of Islamic charities.  He said 
all legitimate charities accept the need for this.  In his 
view, Kuwait's laws are sufficiently stringent ever since an 
assassination attempt against the Amir in the 1980s, but he 
was "ready to study any suggestion" to strengthen controls. 
DNSA Townsend pointed out that convicted conspirators in the 
Failaka terrorist attack are now free on bail after serving 
short sentences.  The Minister replied that laws are one 
thing, application by the court is another.  He stressed the 
independence of the judiciary and its multi-stage appeals 
process.  He considered Failaka "a very obvious case" and 
expected that the defendants would be sentenced on appeal. 
He did not favor legislating minimum sentences, for fear that 
judges would find defendants not guilty if they thought the 
minimum sentence was too harsh (there are no juries in the 
Kuwaiti judicial system). 
 
17.  (S) COMMENT:  The meetings were cordial throughout, but 
the PM's body language indicated he was unhappy and 
defensive.  He stuck to his line of argument, which was 
characteristic of his desire not to rock the boat.  While he 
remains fixated on maintaining calm inside Kuwait, we are 
certain PM Sabah does not want Americans to be harmed outside 
Kuwait either, and shares our desire to stabilize Iraq 
urgently.  For now, the most constructive course of action is 
to keep up the pressure by seizing upon his clear instruction 
to KSS and NSB to cooperate with us, and promptly flagging 
for him any failure to do so. 
 
18. (U) Ms. Townsend has cleared this message. 
 
19. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
URBANCIC