US embassy cable - 04KUWAIT3684

UNCLAS KUWAIT 003684 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/NGA SA/INS, DRL/PHD, DRL/ILA, G/TIP 
STATE FOR CA/OCS/ACS/NESA, M/P FOR JAY ANANIA 
DOL FOR ILAB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB, MOPS, PREL, PHUM, ETRD, EAID, KU, IZ, RP 
SUBJECT: PHILIPPINES REQUESTS KUWAIT RECONSIDER DECISION TO 
LIFT IRAQ TRAVEL BAN 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 3590 
     B. KUWAIT 3262 
 
As reported in Ref A, the Government of Kuwait (GOK) informed 
the Governments of India, the Philippines, and Pakistan on 
October 19 that it would no longer prevent their nationals 
from entering Iraq from Kuwait.  In the wake of that 
decision, local newspapers have reported that Manila has 
instructed the Philippines' Ambassador to Kuwait, Bayani 
Mangibin, to demarche the GOK and request that Kuwait 
reconsider this decision.  The papers quote Philippine 
Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo as saying that "This is not 
the time to let Filipino drivers and other (overseas workers) 
go to Iraq because the situation is very fluid."  Romulo is 
also reported to have said that "we can revisit the situation 
in Iraq after the elections."  Filipino workers, on the other 
hand, are pleased with the GOK's decision, according to the 
English-language daily Arab Times.  In an interview with the 
paper, truck driver Armando Torres, who is employed by a 
Kuwaiti company, commented that he and his coworkers believe 
that the financial benefits of working in Iraq outweigh the 
risks. 
 
 
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Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
Classified SIPRNET website 
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LeBaron