US embassy cable - 04KUWAIT3842

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 003842 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/I 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2014 
TAGS: EFIN, EAID, PREL, IZ, KU 
SUBJECT: GOK TO TAKE "LEADERSHIP ROLE" ON IRAQI DEBT 
REDUCTION; AND AGREES ON SOME USG CHANGES TO CONFERENCE 
COMMUNIQUE 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 238110 
 
     B. SECSTATE 237994 
 
Classified By: Ambassador LeBaron for reason 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C) Summary: Ambassador delivered 8 November reftel 
points to Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaykh Dr. Mohammed 
Al-Sabah, following up on Deputy Secretary Armitage's 7 
November raising of Iraqi debt and the Sharm el-Sheikh 
conference with Prime Minister Sabah.  Dr. Mohammed said the 
GOK would take a "leadership role" and be "proactive" towards 
writing down Iraqi debt, and agreed that a public statement 
from the GOK would be appropriate and forthcoming.  He also 
agreed with some of the USG-recommended changes to the 
Egyptian Sharm el-Sheikh communique, including the removal of 
a reference to ending "all forms of violence" and replacing 
it with a condemnation of "all acts of terrorism."  End 
Summary. 
 
GOK To Take "Leadership Role" in Reducing Iraqi Debt 
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2.  (C) Ambassador delivered 8 November reftel points to 
Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Sabah 
Al-Salem Al-Sabah, following up on Deputy Secretary 
Armitage's 7 November raising of Iraqi debt and the Sharm 
el-Sheikh conference with Prime Minister Sabah (septel.)  The 
Ambassador said it was USG understanding that the GOK would 
follow the Paris Club lead and provide comparable treatment 
on Iraqi debt, and Dr. Mohammed concurred.  "We will take a 
leadership role in this," he said, "and we will be proactive, 
we will demand a write-down of Iraqi debt."  Dr. Mohammed 
also said that the GOK had expressed its position on debt to 
Iraqi President al-Yawar and that standing orders had been 
given to the GOK Minister of Finance and other officials to 
follow this position in all meetings involving the World Bank 
and other international financial bodies.  The Ambassador 
urged Dr. Mohammed to have the GOK make a public statement 
confirming its position.  (Note: We assess that such a 
statement will not come before the Sharm meeting.) 
 
GOK Agrees with USG Changes to Sharm el-Sheikh Communique 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
3.  (C) The Ambassador shared USG concerns about the Egyptian 
Sharm el-Sheikh communique with Dr. Mohammed, and Dr. 
Mohammed said that the GOK had already communicated its 
concerns with the Egyptian government.  The Ambassador said 
the USG preferred to ask for a reduction of "the vast 
majority" of Iraqi sovereign debt and not just a 
"substantial" amount, and Dr. Mohammed referred vaguely to 
language used when former Secretary Baker visited Kuwait. 
The Ambassador also raised the USG-suggested change in the 
communique from condemning "all forms of violence and 
terrorism" to condemning "all acts of terrorism in Iraq," and 
Dr. Mohammed wholeheartedly agreed on this point.  Simply 
referring to violence, Dr. Mohammed said, would "make the 
terrorists and the military the same, and that is not 
correct."  He said the GOK had independently made this point 
to the Egyptians. 
 
FM on Falluja: "Don't Let Enemy Define Your Role." 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
4.  (SBU) Dr. Mohammed said that he appreciated the Deputy 
Secretary's 7 November visit and reviewed the main points of 
 
SIPDIS 
DepSec Armitage's discussion with the Prime Minister with the 
Ambassador.  On Falluja and other Iraq troublespots, Dr. 
Mohammed said "public diplomacy efforts must be redoubled, 
don't let your enemies define your role in Iraq."  He added 
that the USG "must explain why any military action is for the 
benefit of the Iraqis," and he hoped that the USG image would 
not be tarnished in the current Falluja campaign.  He agreed, 
however,