US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT2869

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 002869 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARPI AND G/TIP; LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/25/2015 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, PGOV, KDEM, KWMN, KCRM, KU 
SUBJECT: GOK OBJECTS TO TIP "COMPARISON" TO OTHER GULF 
STATES;  PDAS CHENEY OUTLINES STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE RANKING 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 2803 
 
     B. KUWAIT 2618 
     C. KUWAIT 2551 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C)  Summary and comment:  During her June 25 visit to 
Kuwait, NEA PDAS Cheney emphasized the need to make progress 
in dealing with the trafficking in persons (TIP) issue. Three 
senior officials voiced GOK disappointment with the 2005 
report.  The new Minister of Planning, the Foreign Minister, 
and the senior Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister all 
complained that Kuwait was unfairly compared to other Gulf 
countries -- Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE -- and said the 
report failed to address efforts underway to improve the 
working conditions for expatriate laborers.  PDAS Cheney 
emphasized that countries were assessed independently and 
said the goal of the report was to identify areas for 
improvement, not to punish or embarrass.  She highlighted the 
60-day period for action and recommended the GOK consider 
action against stables that use child camel jockeys and take 
steps to prosecute those who exploit foreign workers.  She 
stated the U.S. commitment to working with Kuwait on TIP 
issues and advised the officials of G/TIP's interest in 
visiting Kuwait.  The Ambassador reiterated the need for real 
action not the formation of committees.  Post has repeatedly 
raised TIP issues with senior GOK officials, and the chorus 
of comments to PDAS Cheney makes clear that the report and 
U.S. concerns have gotten the Government's attention, 
although the perceived comparison to other Gulf states is the 
biggest concern.  FM Shaykh Dr. Mohammed said the Prime 
Minster would discuss TIP issues during his July 1 visit; 
PDAS Cheney stressed that the visit is an opportunity to 
elaborate on the measures taken to improve working conditions 
for expatriate laborers.  End summary and comment. 
 
2.  (C)  NEA Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Cheney 
began her visit to Kuwait with a call on Kuwait's first 
female minister, Dr. Maasouma Al-Mubarak, Minister of 
Planning and Administrative Development. Following a 
discussion on women's political participation and strategies 
to prepare women for the 2007 parliamentary elections 
(septel), Dr. Maasouma changed the subject and expressed her 
deep disappointment with the 2005 Trafficking in persons 
(TIP) Report.  She acknowledged problems in Kuwait in 
treating expatriate workers, especially domestic staff, but 
strongly objected to Kuwait being "lumped in with other 
states" and said the report did not take into account ongoing 
efforts to improve labor conditions.  In particular, in her 
assessment, the report did not address steps by individuals 
and NGOs to address trafficking issues.  She said, "things 
are different in Kuwait" and the Department's report did not 
reflect the Kuwaiti system for "identifying and rectifying 
mistakes."  She referred to the recent ban on outside work 
between noon and 4:00 PM and said the GOK was determined to 
make working conditions more humane for the approximate 
450,000 domestics in Kuwait.  She reported court cases filed 
against several companies which violated the ban and lamented 
that a few abuses would sully the image of Kuwait.  She 
further advised that reform of the labor law was underway and 
commented that as a cabinet minister, she now had greater 
access and influence and would press for positive changes. 
 
3.  (C)  Similarly, Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister 
Dr. Yousef Al-Ebrahim, objected to being compared to 
neighboring states and questioned the methods and sources 
used in preparing the report.  He asserted that Kuwait was 
"not like the rest of the Gulf" and was committed to treating 
South Asians resident in Kuwait well.  He said the Ministry 
of Social Affairs and Labor had banned the use of child camel 
jockeys, a practice he said was nonexistent in Kuwait, but 
was limited in taking action against those who use their own 
children in camel races. In response to a comment by the 
Ambassador on non-payment of some workers, he claimed Kuwait 
had 1.5 million foreign workers and only a small number of 
them were not being paid, and firms were being sanctioned. 
Blaming the media for the negative image, he said Kuwait's 
free press was quick to report on worker complaints and such 
news was often repeated, suggesting a widespread problem.  He 
asserted that many reports of abuse were "blown out of 
proportion" or simply false, and complained that retractions 
and corrections never made the papers. 
 
4.  (C)  In a separate meeting, Foreign Minister Shaykh Dr. 
Mohammed Al-Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah also expressed his 
disappointment with the TIP report and restated that Kuwait 
was very different from its neighboring countries.  He 
reported the GOK, NGOs, Parliament's Human Rights Committee, 
and individuals were all working to improve the status of 
Kuwait's expatriate labor force.  He asserted the GOK's 
resolve to respond to the report's criticisms and said the 
Prime Minister would likely raise the issue while in 
Washington. 
5.  (C) PDAS Cheney responded to all three interlocutors that 
the 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act was very specific 
and countries were evaluated independently and objectively, 
not against others.  She emphasized that the goal of the 
report was to identify areas for improvement, and thus 
Kuwait's ranking could be improved.  She added that progress 
on TIP was essential to continued progress toward a free 
trade agreement.  She stressed that following the Tier 3 
ranking, Kuwait has 60 days to take immediate action so that 
ranking could be reconsidered by the President.   She 
suggested as possible measures shutting down stables that use 
child camel jockeys or prosecuting individuals who exploit 
foreign workers. She further informed the GOK officials of 
the interest of Department officials from the G/TIP office in 
visiting Kuwait to discuss these issues.  She said the Prime 
Minister's July 1 visit to the U.S. presented an opportunity 
to elaborate on concrete steps to combat TIP.  The Ambassador 
said the U.S. appreciated the additional attention the GOK 
paid to TIP issues, but stressed the need for action, not the 
formation of committees and issuance of reports.  He 
encouraged better coordination among the involved ministries 
-- Social Affairs and Labor, Foreign Affairs, and Interior -- 
and suggested that Kuwaiti Ambassador to the U.S. work 
closely with Department officials. 
 
6.  (U) PDAS Cheney cleared this message. 
 
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