US embassy cable - 05MANAMA1810

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001810 
 
SIPDIS 
 
WHITE HOUSE FOR APHSCT TOWNSEND 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, ASEC, PARM, PGOV, KISL, BA, KU, REGION, OFFICIALS, CTR 
SUBJECT: ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT TOWNSEND'S DECEMBER 2 
MEETING WITH KUWAITI SECURITY BUREAU PRESIDENT SHAIKH SABAH 
 
Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  Assistant to the President for Homeland 
Security and Counter-Terrorism (APHSCT) Frances Fragos 
Townsend met with Kuwaiti National Security Bureau President 
Shaikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah December 2 on the margins of the 
IISS Gulf Security Dialogue conference in Manama.  Shaikh 
Sabah expressed optimism about the involvement of Sunnis in 
the political process in Iraq, saying that both Saudi Arabia 
and Kuwait will have an opportunity to encourage the visiting 
Iraqi Sunni leadership in face-to-face meetings in the coming 
week.  However, he voiced dismay with the new leadership in 
Iran, noting that progress on bilateral issues such as 
off-shore oil and gas had stagnated.  He expressed Kuwait's 
concern about radicalized Kuwaiti youth receiving terrorist 
training in other countries and then returning home. 
Kuwait's advice to Syria has been to cooperate fully in the 
Mehlis investigation.  He declared Kuwait's support for the 
Amman Declaration to be discussed at the upcoming 
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) gathering in 
Mecca.  End Summary. 
 
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Elections in Iraq 
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2.  (C) In a December 2 meeting with Kuwaiti Security Bureau 
President Shaikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah, APHSCT Townsend 
expressed USG appreciation for Kuwaiti efforts to reach out 
to Iraqi Sunni leaders to encourage participation in the 
December 15 Iraqi elections.  Shaikh Sabah said that Saudi 
cooperation with Kuwait in encouraging Iraqi Sunni 
involvement has improved, as has direct communication with 
Iraqi Sunnis.  Previously the Sunni leadership had been 
reluctant to talk with Kuwait directly and had only spoken 
through intermediaries.  In the coming week, however, the 
Iraqi Sunni leadership will be traveling first to Saudi 
Arabia and then to Kuwait for direct consultations. 
 
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Back to Square One with Iran 
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3.  (C) Shaikh Sabah voiced Kuwaiti frustration with the new 
leadership in Iran.  In the past four months, the Kuwaiti 
leadership met twice with Iranian President Ahmadinejad and 
with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohaki four times.  There has 
been much talk, but only empty promises resulting in no 
bilateral progress between the two nations.  They had begun 
discussions over disputed off-shore gas and oil reserves, but 
progress has stopped.  Due to its proximity to Iran, Kuwait 
is concerned about Iran's nuclear ambitions and has expressed 
this concern to Iran.  The Iranian response was that they had 
hired a Russian expert to oversee the Bushehr plant 
operations.  Shaikh Sabah said that Kuwait was not comforted 
by this fact given the Russian experience at Chernobyl. 
 
4.  (C) APHSCT Townsend expressed concern that Iran is 
allowing al-Qaeda recruits' passage through Iran.  Other 
nations, including Saudi Arabia, have tried to broach the 
subject with Iran, to no avail.  Shaikh Sabah said that there 
are many al-Qaeda operatives in Iran moving freely and even 
assisted by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.  He 
expressed Kuwait's concern about its own citizens traveling 
to neighboring countries to receive training in weapons and 
explosives, using this training in Iraq, and then returning 
to Kuwait to spread radicalism.  The government knows of 
dozens of individuals, some of whom are in detention in 
Syria, and it expects the number to grow.  Kuwait's requests 
for information about those detained in Syria have gone 
unanswered. 
 
5.  (C) Regarding the movement of money to fund terrorism, 
APHSCT Townsend said that Gulf countries must cooperate on 
the development of a strong law.  The U.S. was encouraged by 
Saudi Arabia's recent move to lower the acceptable limits on 
money flowing in and out of the country, even though the move 
will likely be unpopular.  Shaikh Sabah said Kuwait has been 
working on legislation, but that it still needs more work. 
Kuwait has taken technological precautions such as x-ray 
systems to monitor packages entering and exiting the country. 
 These efforts notwithstanding, terrorists are adjusting; a 
pattern is emerging of individuals carrying smaller amounts 
of cash and passing it to others by hand. 
 
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Syria's Plea for Help 
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6.  (C) Shaikh Sabah related that Syrian President Bashar 
al-Asad requested assistance from Kuwait in its dilemma over 
the Mehlis investigation into the assassination of former 
Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.  Kuwait's response was that 
the only acceptable action was to cooperate fully with the 
investigation.  Kuwait has domestic concerns about a possible 
Syrian role in the assassination because of the potential 
reaction from the 90,000 Syrians resident in Kuwait.  Shaikh 
Sabah said that al-Asad had promised cooperation with the 
investigation, but then made conflicting statements in the 
press.  Kuwait is concerned about al-Asad's capability to 
lead and whether he can out-maneuver the old guard around 
him.  APHSCT Townsend stressed the USG position that 
isolating al-Asad from friends and neighbors will be most 
effective.  (Note:  Shaikh Sabah deflected the suggestion, 
appearing reluctant to commit to this strategy.  End note.) 
 
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Mecca OIC Meeting an Historic Opportunity 
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7.  (C) APHSCT Townsend encouraged Kuwait to fully support 
the Amman Declaration at the December 7-8 meeting of the OIC 
hosted by Saudi Arabia in Mecca.  Shaikh Sabah said that 
Kuwait is fully supportive and that tolerance is a key part 
of Kuwaiti policy and strategy to combat extremism.  Kuwait 
has been working for a year to establish a center for 
mediation which Kuwait envisions as partly a training center 
for clerics, and partly a clearinghouse for information, 
including development of a database of Arabic terms used by 
terrorists to communicate with one another.  Shaikh Sabah 
expressed an urgency to have today's youth educated properly 
so that their hearts and minds are not corrupted. 
 
8.  (U) APHSCT Townsend cleared this message. 
 
MONROE