US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT3091

UNCLAS KUWAIT 003091 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR NEA/ARPI AND EUR/RPM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MARR, PREL, PGOV, KU, NATO 
SUBJECT: NATO MEMBER COUNTRIES IN KUWAIT OUTLINE PROGRAM 
FOR NATO-KUWAITI COOPERATION 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 1450 
     B. KUWAIT 1175 
     C. 04 KUWAIT 4369 
 
1.  (SBU)  Italian Ambassador to Kuwait Vincenzo Prati hosted 
July 6 the first meeting of NATO member countries in Kuwait, 
providing a general introduction to the Istanbul Cooperation 
Initiative (ICI) and explaining the role of NATO Contact 
Point Embassies (CPEs).  The Italian Embassy is the CPE for 
Kuwait.  The meeting was largely organizational in nature 
with attendees agreeing to meet bi-monthly and identifying 
Shaykh Thamer Al-Sabah, Office Manager for National Security 
Bureau President Shaykh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, as the 
primary GOK contact.  As CPE, the Italian Ambassador will 
meet in the coming weeks with Foreign and Defense ministries 
officials, Members of Parliament, other senior GOK 
representatives, the media, NGOs, and think tanks to brief 
them on NATO cooperation with Kuwait.  He said he would raise 
with them the importance of concluding Status of Forces 
Agreements (SOFAs) for troop transit of Kuwait and solicit 
their views on GCC cooperation with NATO. 
 
2.  (SBU)  Attendees made several suggestions to improve the 
CPE program.  The Belgian Ambassador proposed organizing a 
committee to maintain regular contact with Kuwaiti 
interlocutors.  The British DATT recommend briefing GCC 
ambassadors in Kuwait on NATO-provided training for Iraqi 
security forces such as operating the Military Staff College. 
 The German Charge called for a NATO familiarization tour of 
the GCC.  The Turkish Ambassador offered Turkey, as a Muslim 
country, as a facilitator in the NATO-GCC dialogue.  Post 
Charge noted that Kuwaiti interest in NATO activities 
exceeded that of neighboring countries, but stressed the 
importance of identifying and responding to Kuwaiti wants and 
needs such as training in consequence management, border 
control, and counterterrorism (refs a and c).  He further 
commented that an active relationship with Kuwait would 
likely spark the interest of other GCC countries in NATO-GCC 
cooperation. 
 
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