US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT2448

UNCLAS KUWAIT 002448 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OTRA, PREL, IZ, JO, KU 
SUBJECT: REVISED PROCEDURES FOR COALITION PARTNERS 
DEPARTING IRAQ VIA KUWAIT 
 
1.  This is an action message.  See paragraph 4 below. 
 
2.  DCM, CONS Chief and OMC-K JAG met June 3 with Kuwaiti 
Chief of Immigration COL Abdullah Yousef Al-Ruwaieh and LTCOL 
Adeeb Al-Sweidan to discuss procedures which will allow CPA 
personnel currently in Iraq in an official capacity to depart 
via Kuwait.  DCM explained to the Kuwaitis that large numbers 
of CPA personnel had transited Kuwait on their way to 
assignments in Iraq just prior to and during the war. 
Significant numbers of those personnel were now ready to 
depart but Baghdad International Airport remained closed, 
which requires them in many cases to fly out through Kuwait. 
The exigencies of the situation in Iraq and the details of 
their departures from Kuwait, however, had in many cases 
prevented these travelers from complying with Kuwaiti 
immigration law.  This was particularly acute in the case of 
civilians who entered Kuwait via milair and who now needed to 
leave via Kuwait on commercial air.  In many cases, these 
people did not have Kuwaiti stamps in their passports or the 
Kuwaiti stamps which were in their passports indicated that 
they had overstayed their legal limits in violation of 
Kuwaiti immigration laws.  Fines were being levied and the 
U.S. sought jointly to establish with the Kuwaitis a solution 
to this problem.  COL Al-Ruwaieh said the Kuwaitis wanted to 
be helpful.  After considerable discussion, the following 
procedures were agreed: 
 
a) Kuwait agrees that it will accept a letter from the Office 
of the Coalition Provisional Authority, duly stamped, which 
requests exemption from fines and fees for the bearer. 
Embassy is consulting with Kuwaitis now on acceptable 
language and will provide this language to OCPA in Baghdad as 
soon as it is confirmed.  Embassy will also provide Arabic 
translation of the letter, and stands ready to have the 
letters printed in Kuwait if OCPA would find that useful. 
 
b) Travelers who present these letters to Kuwaiti immigration 
authorities on the commercial side of the airport will be 
allowed to depart.  Travelers should understand, however, 
that this process could take up to 24 hours, and they should 
be prepared to spend at least one night in a hotel. 
 
c) For those travelers who are able to plan in advance, 
Kuwait Immigration requests that OCPA provide 24-hour notice 
via fax from Baghdad directly to Kuwait Immigration.  Embassy 
will provide this fax number to OCPA as soon as the entire 
procedure is agreed with the Kuwaiti immigration authorities. 
 For those people with this 24-hour notification, there 
should be minimal delay at the airport. 
 
d) This CPA letter of transportation will be valid at either 
the Kuwaiti land border post at Abdalli and only at Abdalli, 
or at the airport if the traveler has flown milair into 
Kuwait from Iraq. 
 
e) Those official travelers who do not present such letters 
will be turned around and returned to Iraq to secure the 
letter. 
 
3.  Embassy is proceeding along the lines above to ensure 
that future CPA travelers are able to meet Kuwaiti 
requirements.  We have cleared this telegram with OCPA, which 
believes it to be a reasonable resolution of this thorny 
issue. 
 
4.  ACTION REQUEST:  Kuwaitis have bent over backwards in 
completely waiving the normal requirements for transit 
through this country.  We believe that this procedure should 
remedy the difficulties which travelers have been 
experiencing heretofore.  We emphasize, however, that it is 
incumbent upon all travelers, journalists, DOD contractors 
and OCPA civilians to avail themselves of the letter from 
OCPA.  Without it, Embassy will not be able to intervene to 
waive fees or otherwise to procure visas at the airport. 
 
JONES