US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT2902

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 002902 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD, G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, KPAO, KISL, KCRM, PGOV, KDEM, KU 
SUBJECT: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: TRAFFICKING IN 
PERSONS 
 
Ref: Kuwait 2803 
 
1. Summary: The Department of State Trafficking in 
Persons report and widespread media coverage of a 
subsequent Embassy-sponsored DVC on the issue with 
Ambassador John Miller (reftel) has moved some Kuwaiti 
commentators to acknowledge human rights abuses, but 
rarely do they concede that such abuse is anything 
other than isolated anomalies. Far more common is the 
counter-accusation, with alleged American abuses at 
Guantanamo Bay being the most frequently cited case of 
American hypocrisy. Writing in Al-Watan on June 25, 
Walid Bu Ruba' wrote: "To Mr. Miller we would like to 
say that the U.S. must recognize the rights of the 
detainees in Guantanamo.  These people have been 
sitting in their cells without trials." End Summary. 
 
2. Writing in independent daily Al-Watan in a column 
entitled, "The One-Eyed Strategy of the State 
Department" on June 25, Walid Bu Ruba' wrote: "No 
Kuwaiti can ignore the U.S. efforts in liberating 
Kuwait from [Saddam.]  No American citizen can ignore 
the role of Kuwait in the liberation of Iraq.  As a 
result of this, Kuwait has been classified as an ally 
to the U.S. in the NATO alliance. 
 
However, when Ambassador Miller spoke the other day to 
a panel of journalists on Trafficking of Persons, he 
gave Kuwait a low mark and said that Kuwait has not 
done anything to prevent the trafficking of persons . 
To Mr. Miller we would like to say that the U.S. must 
recognize the rights of the detainees in Guantanamo. 
These people have been sitting in their cells without 
trials.  Human rights is a standard concept and it 
must not be selective.  If we evaluate the U.S. on its 
treatment of these detainees, then America will rank 
at the bottom of the list in the human rights 
category." 
 
3. Writing in pro-government daily Al-Anba in a column 
entitled "We Also Have Respected Servants" on June 25, 
Abdul Hadi Al-Saleh wrote: "In addition to the 
negative image of how some maids and workers are 
mistreated in Kuwait, we have other positive stories 
where maids are well treated in Kuwaiti families. 
Maids and housekeepers get a separate room in the 
household, they accompany the family on their summer 
and winter travels, they are well taken care of and 
they even receive gifts on gift-giving occasions. 
That is why we find some maids stay here for ten years 
and sometimes more without going back to their home 
country.  The media must portray this side of the 
equation. I am not denying that we have some cases of 
abuse and mistreatment of housekeepers.  The 
government and the interested authorities must deal 
with this issue.  We have laws and regulations that 
must be implemented." 
 
4. Writing in Al-Qabas in a column entitled "America 
Trades in Persons for Sex," on June 26, Islamist Adel 
Al-Qassar wrote: "On Wednesday [6/22] Ambassador 
Miller told the reporters who participated in a DVC on 
the Trafficking in Persons Report that he welcomed any 
assessment of the U.S. violations of human rights and 
trafficking in persons.  If Mr. Miller sees that the 
information which U.S. embassies provide on the status 
of trafficking in persons in other countries is the 
source of his report, we can ask our embassy in 
Washington to give us information on the trafficking 
of children for sexual purposes in the United States . 
the comments of the Parliament Speaker in Kuwait is 
the best reply to Ambassador Miller's statements. 
[National Assembly Speaker] Mr. Al-Khorafi said, 'if 
you live in a house of glass, do not throw stones.'" 
 
5. Writing in Al-Qabas on June 25, Yousef Al-Shihab 
wrote: "It is easy to point the finger at other 
countries and accuse them of practicing violations 
against human rights.  But it is difficult to come up 
with solid evidence to back up these allegations.  The 
accusations against Kuwait, especially on the issues 
of treatment of expatriate workers and camel jockeys, 
are a wrong that others want to prove as right. 
International organizations attest that Kuwait has an 
outstanding record of fairness in treating human 
beings regardless of whether they are citizens or 
residents.  The cases of abuse and mistreatment are 
isolated cases by sick people and these actions are 
abhorred by the Kuwaiti society. We do not deny the 
existence of these random and few cases." 
 
6. Writing in Al-Watan on June 25, Mubarak Al-Hajeri 
wrote: "Nobody can claim Kuwait is not committed to 
international human rights, even John Miller, advisor 
to the State Department and the director of the Anti- 
Trafficking in Persons Office. Yes, we admit some 
individual mistakes and practices, but the 
perpetrators are not in the majority. In the meantime, 
we must concede the Kuwaiti government has instituted 
laws to protect the foreign manpower in the country 
better than any country in the world including the 
United States . What does Ambassador Miller have to 
say about the injustice meted out to inmates of the 
Guantanamo X-Ray Camp in Cuba? And what about the 
human rights of American blacks? And what about those 
millions of vagabonds who sleep in garbage containers 
in Washington DC and other U.S. states? I think in 
this context Jassem Al-Khorafi was right when he was 
quoted as saying, 'those who live in glass houses must 
not throw stones at others.'" 
 
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