US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT2380

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 002380 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2015 
TAGS: PREL, EAID, IZ, KU, EUN, KUWAIT-IRAQ RELATIONS 
SUBJECT: KUWAITI FOREIGN MINISTER WILL ATTEND U.S.-EU 
CONFERENCE ON IRAQ; NUDGE ON ECONOMIC ISSUES 
 
REF: A. STATE 93742 
     B. STATE 78774 
     C. KUWAIT 2229 
     D. KUWAIT 1900 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (SBU)  Along with his Dutch counterpart (representing EU 
Presidency) and EU Commission rep (resident in Riyadh), 
Ambassador met Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs Khalid 
Al-Jarallah June 1 to confirm Kuwaiti attendance at the 
Brussels conference on Iraq.  Al-Jarallah said that the GOK 
highly appreciated the U.S. and EU initiative, and that the 
Foreign Minister would lead the Kuwaiti team.  He asked for 
information on the final participant list and looked forward 
to seeing the draft communique.  The EU rep said that the 
Small Group was meeting in Cairo and that the EU and U.S. 
would supply follow-on information.  The Dutch Ambassador 
noted that the focus would be on political support; it would 
not be a pledging conference.  Al-Jarallah noted that there 
was another ministerial level meeting scheduled in Singapore 
for the same dates -- some sort of Middle East/Southeast Asia 
meeting -- but that the Kuwaitis would attend the Brussels 
meeting.  (Note: The EU rep indicated that the EU still plans 
to issue written invitations, but had not done so yet. 
Ambassador left behind the conference details found in 
reftels.) 
 
2.  (C) While noting the political nature of the June 
meeting, Ambassador urged that Kuwait add to the political 
momentum in the run-up to the conference by taking action on 
some of the pending economic issues.  He pushed once again 
for prompt release of DFI funds being held by Kuwait pending 
examination of a commercial claim.  Al-Jarallah promised to 
probe the MFA's Legal Department on the matter.  Ambassador 
also told Al-Jarallah that he had been encouraging Kuwaiti 
ministers and others to reach out to their counterparts in 
the ITG, including, for example, to the Finance Minister on 
debt re-scheduling and to the Planning Minister on project 
implementation.  Al-Jarallah pushed back a bit, saying that 
the Iraqis still have made only preliminary and tentative 
contacts with the GOK on project aid.  (He did not mention 
any contact on debt re-scheduling.)  In response, Ambassador 
noted USG efforts in Baghdad to foster intra-ITG coordination 
on donor issues and to encourage prompt engagement with 
debtors.  Ambassador advised Al-Jarallah that Kuwaiti efforts 
to reach out, even if not always yielding immediate practical 
results, can send an important signal of continuing political 
engagement with the ITG, the value of which should not be 
under-estimated 
 
3.  (U)  Baghdad:  Minimize Considered. 
 
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LEBARON