US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT3403

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 003403 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARPI AND S/WCI; LONDON FOR TSOU; PARIS FOR ZEYA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/31/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, PGOV, KISL, KPAO, KCRM, KU, KACW 
SUBJECT: SENIOR KUWAITI MFA OFFICIAL'S VIEWS ON SPEAKING 
OUT ON GITMO AND DETAINEES:  TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE 
 
REF: STATE 139288 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Matthew H. Tueller for reasons 1.4(b) 
and (d) 
 
1.  (C)  PolChief discussed reftel points July 31 with 
Ambassador Khaled Al-Maqamis, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
Director of Coordination and Follow Up.  Al-Maqamis has the 
GOK lead for detainee issues and has previously engaged 
EmbOffs on what he views as a complete failure by the U.S. to 
inform the "common people" that the detainees are indeed 
treated humanely and that many pose a direct threat to 
regional security.  He welcomed the effort to better inform 
the international community about detainee issues, but said 
it was too late, too little, and addressed to the wrong 
audience. 
 
2.  (C)  Al-Maqamis began his monologue by critiquing media 
coverage of the detainees.  He said that the Arab world has 
seen no "positive," proactive coverage of detainee issues. 
Reports have focused on allegations of abuse and interviewed 
released detainees, regardless of nationality, said the same 
negative things giving credence to reports of torture.  He 
said most Arabs believed the former detainees confessed to 
terror activities as a way to escape torture and other 
mistreatment.  He recommended that the media be allowed to 
interview current detainees, especially the more strident 
ones, saying, "Let the crazy people talk so that everyone can 
hear their evil."  He accused the U.S. of keeping the "common 
Arab people" at a distance and encouraged "embracing" them 
and showing them the type of people detained. 
 
3.  (C)  In addition to a more focused media campaign, 
Al-Maqamis encouraged more detainee visits.  He recommended 
that MFA officials and politicians be allowed to visit 
detainees, arguing that comments from these individuals that 
detainees were well-treated would resonate within the 
Arab/Muslim world.  He said that embassy representatives and 
security personnel who had previously visited detainees were 
viewed as biased.  He also called for allowing family members 
to visit their detained relatives.  He predicted that unruly 
detainees would change their behavior and become more 
cooperative if they saw a parent or wife.  He was also 
convinced that the family members could confirm the health 
and well-being of the detainees and thus affect public 
perception.  He quickly discounted visits by the ICRC and 
other NGOs. 
 
4.  (C)  Al-Maqamis claimed that most Kuwaiti relatives of 
detainees had accepted that their relatives may have done 
something wrong and punishment was merited.  He said the 
problem of not knowing the detainees' situations fueled the 
criticisms.  He said the issue was particularly sensitive for 
Kuwaitis who spent more than a decade not knowing the fates 
of family and friends arrested and detained by Saddam 
Hussein.  These scars were still fresh and for the relatives 
of the 11 detained Kuwaitis, they were constantly reliving 
the Iraqi POW experience.  (Note:  There were 605 Kuwait POWs 
from the 1990 - 91 Gulf War.  All are presumed to have been 
killed by Saddam Hussein and the GOK has located and 
identified hundreds of sets of remains.  End Note.) 
 
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TUELLER