US embassy cable - 04KUWAIT3190

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 003190 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/14/2014 
TAGS: PREL, ODIP, KU 
SUBJECT: KUWAITI FOREIGN MINISTER ON ARAB LEAGUE, IRAQ, 
JAZEERA, AND G-8 DIALOGUE 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.5(b) and (d) 
 
1. (U) In a forty-five minute meeting on September 15, the 
morning after arrival in country, Ambassador LeBaron 
presented copies of credentials to Foreign Minister Shaikh 
Muhammad Al-Sabah.  The Foreign Minister was joined by 
Undersecretary Khalid Jarallah, Office Director Shaikh Ahmad 
Al-Sabah, and the Acting Chief of Protocol.  Ambassador 
LeBaron was accompanied by DCM. 
 
2. (C)  Shaikh Muhammad did not stand on ceremony and engaged 
at length in informal discussion of issues of interest, 
including a readout of the just concluded Arab League Foreign 
Ministers meeting in Cairo.  He credited Jordan and the GCC 
states with beating back a strong Syrian push to criticize 
UNSCR 1559.  It was unacceptable, he said, to undermine UNSC 
resolutions, but he noted that Kuwait and others thought 1559 
bordered on an intrusion into internal political affairs in 
Lebanon and that a three-year extension of the term of office 
of the Lebanese president did not rise to a "threat to 
international peace and security".  The Iraqi Foreign 
Minister had made a good presentation and received support 
for his call on neighboring states to refrain from meddling 
in Iraqi affairs.  Darfur had been discussed as had the 
Arab-Israeli issue, with little to report. 
 
3. (C)  The Foreign Minister termed himself an optimist on 
Iraq but said he did not believe the current situation boded 
well for holding elections in January.  For elections to have 
a positive outcome, there needed to be social peace and a 
greater atmosphere of trust among competing groups.  From his 
perspective, Iraqi ethnic and sectarian groups were still 
drawing lines and fighting for turf and were not ready to 
craft a common national agenda.  This was nothing new for 
Iraq though.  Shaikh Muhammad thought it would be difficult 
to impose another model on the reality of Iraqi society. 
Nonetheless, Kuwait was working hard to support the IIG, 
thought PM Allawi was on the right track, and had recently 
allocated $65 million for school and hospital projects with 
$5 million earmarked for Najaf.  Retired Chief of Staff 
General Ali al-Mumin, head of the Kuwait Humanitarian 
Operations Center, would be traveling to Najaf to oversee 
projects there.  The GOK viewed Sistani as a moderating 
influence and applauded the efforts of Allawi to starve 
Muqtada al-Sadr of "political oxygen". 
 
4. (C) In welcoming the Ambassador to Kuwait and encouraging 
enjoyment of Kuwaiti hospitality and openness, Shaikh 
Muhammad said the Ambassador would hear a lot of strong views 
against the Jazeera Satellite Channel.  U.S. counterterrorism 
focus was on those "holding the guns" but not enough 
attention was being paid to those conveying a message of 
hatred, and al-Jazeera was a major source of the hatred that 
led young men into terrorist activity.  The GOK made its 
views known to the Qatari leadership, but saw no change. 
 
5. (C) Shaikh Muhammad said he would be leaving for New York 
on September 17 and looked forward to seeing the Secretary in 
the meeting with GCC FM's.  He indicated some confusion about 
substantive agenda for the proposed September 24 G8 Ministers 
meeting with regional Foreign Minsters.  DCM noted that oral 
invitation and non-paper on agenda had been passed to MFA 
Americas Director Khalid Babtain and that it was our hope 
that Shaikh Muhammad would accept the invitation to intend. 
 
6. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
LeBaron