US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT2547

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 002547 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARPI; LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, EAID, KDEM, KU, IZ, KUWAIT-IRAQ RELATIONS 
SUBJECT: U.S.-EU INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON IRAQ:  KUWAIT 
AGREES ON NEED FOR DELIVERABLES AND PROMISES ACTION ON DFI 
 
REF: A. STATE 103222 
     B. KUWAIT 2380 (NOTAL) 
     C. STATE 93742 
     D. STATE 78774 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C)  During a June 8 meeting with Kuwait Foreign Minister 
Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Al Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah, the 
Ambassador again raised the June 22 U.S.-EU International 
Conference on Iraq, stressing the need for the conference to 
result in tangible support for the Iraqi Transitional 
Government (ITG).  Shaykh Dr. Mohammed, who had just 
concluded a meeting on the Brussels conference with an Iraqi 
delegation lead by MFA Undersecretary for Multilateral 
Affairs Ambassador Hamid Al-Bayati, agreed that a strong 
political message should come out of the gathering.  Briefing 
the Ambassador on the meeting, Shaykh Dr. Mohammed said 
Bayati talked about his trip to the United Nations and the 
ITG request for extension of the MNF mandate, the desire to 
immediately launch the constitutional committee so that the 
August deadline for a draft could be met, and security.  On 
the latter, Bayati commented that the increasing attacks on 
civilian targets were a reflection of the shrinking support 
base for insurgents. 
 
2.  (C)  Shaykh Dr. Mohammed reconfirmed to Bayati GOK 
support for the ITG and informed him of Kuwait's $60 million 
grant for hospitals and schools in southern Iraq.  The 
Foreign Minister said Kuwait had a special interest in the 
Basrah Hospital and had invited the Governor of Basrah to 
Kuwait for discussions on refurbishing the facility. 
According to Shaykh Dr. Mohammed, the ITG had committed $8 
million for the hospital and the GOK was waiting for the 
Governor's agreement to form a joint committee to advance the 
renovation proposal through the two bureaucracies.  The 
Foreign Minister also reiterated Kuwait's desire for formal 
diplomatic relations; the GOK has identified an unnamed 
Ambassador to Iraq and was waiting for the ITG to nominate a 
candidate having no ties to the Ba'ath party. 
 
3.  (C)  The Ambassador welcomed the exchanges between the 
ITG and GOK, but said more could be done and encouraged the 
immediate transfer of Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) assets. 
 Shaykh Dr. Mohammed replied he had met that morning with his 
staff on the status of a reported $20 - 30 million in pending 
claims against the $78 million held by the GOK.  The MFA 
legal department concluded that the amount, pending final 
resolution, could be deducted and the balance transferred to 
the ITG.  The Ambassador pressed for a release of funds 
before the Brussels meeting, and the FM, after consulting 
with his staff in Arabic on getting accurate figures from the 
Central Bank, gave a lukewarm "okay." 
 
4.  (C)  Turning to border issues, Shaykh Dr. Mohammed said 
that Turkey, at the April neighbors' meeting, offered to host 
a regional meeting for Interior Ministers on border security. 
 The GOK was prepared to participate and was waiting for more 
information from the Turks.  The Foreign Minister also 
welcomed the opportunity to discuss border issues with the 
U.S., UK, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, but raised no specific 
concerns. 
 
5.  (U)  Baghdad:  Minimize considered. 
 
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LEBARON