US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT4333

UNCLAS KUWAIT 004333 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PBTS, IZ, KU, KUWAIT-IRAQ RELATIONS 
SUBJECT: TOP IRAQI OFFICIALS REAFFIRM CLOSE IRAQ-KUWAIT 
RELATIONS; STRESS BORDER ISSUE SETTLED BY UN 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 3949 
     B. KUWAIT 3851 (AND PREVIOUS) 
 
1.  (U) On arriving in Kuwait October 1 for a four-day visit, 
Iraq's Speaker of Parliament Hajem Al-Hasani reaffirmed 
Iraq's close relationship with Kuwait and stressed that "the 
period of tension" between the two countries was over. 
Al-Hasani's trip was the first visit of an Iraqi Speaker of 
Parliament to Kuwait in more than 20 years.  Al-Hasani also 
highlighted Kuwait's role in supporting the Iraqi political 
process and thanked the Kuwaiti people for their "big help" 
in providing aid to Iraq.  Downplaying recent disturbances 
along the Kuwait-Iraq border, Al-Hasani claimed the problems 
were caused by "parties who aimed to harm the distinguished 
bilateral relations between the neighboring states," Kuwait 
News Agency reported (KUNA).  Al-Hasani met with Prime 
Minister Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, First 
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Shaykh Nawaf 
Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, National Assembly Speaker Jassem 
Al-Khorafi, and other government officials. 
 
2.  (U) Al-Khorafi conveyed Kuwaiti concerns that 
sectarianism in Iraq could spill over into Kuwait in an 
October 4 meeting with Al-Hasani, local media reported. 
Al-Khorafi accepted Al-Hasani's invitation to visit Baghdad, 
though he qualified his acceptance, saying he would visit 
when the "situation in Iraq calmed down." 
 
3.  (U) In an October 2 interview with KUNA, Iraqi Foreign 
Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Iraq "has begun taking steps" to 
appoint an Ambassador to Kuwait and has already provided the 
GOK with a list of embassy personnel.  Zebari also reiterated 
Iraq's respect for the Kuwait-Iraq border as demarcated by 
United Nations Security Council Resolution 833 in 1993, and 
confirmed reports that the two governments have agreed to 
establish a joint committee to oversee border issues (ref. A 
and B).  Zebari concluded the interview by urging Arab states 
to take a more active role in stabilizing Iraq, warning that 
violence in Iraq could spill over into neighboring countries 
if "decisive action is not taken." 
 
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