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### Viewing cable 10KUWAIT142, KUWAIT INTERIOR MINISTER SOUNDS ALARM ON IRAN;

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Reference ID | Date | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | ---
10KUWAIT142 | 2010-02-17 14:02 | SECRET//NOFORN | Embassy Kuwait

`

    VZCZCXRO5845
    PP RUEHBC RUEHKUK RUEHTRO
    DE RUEHKU #0142/01 0481442
    ZNY SSSSS ZZH
    P 171442Z FEB 10
    FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4627
    INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
    RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

` `

    S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 000142

    SIPDIS
    NOFORN

    NEA/ARP, NEA/RA

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2020
    TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER IR YM KU
    SUBJECT: KUWAIT INTERIOR MINISTER SOUNDS ALARM ON IRAN;
    OFFERS ASSURANCES ON GTMO RETURNEES AND SECURITY

    REF: KUWAIT 137

    Classified By: DCM Tom Williams for reasons 1.4 b and d

    ¶1. (S/NF)  Summary:  Interior Minister Jaber Al-Khaled Al
    Sabah told Ambassador February 16 that he is deeply concerned
    about Iranian actions, particularly in Yemen with the
    Houthis.  A security hard-liner whose views do not always
    reflect those of the rest of the GoK, Shaykh Jaber suggested
    Iran is intent upon exporting its revolution and can only be
    deterred by force from achieving its nuclear ambitions; he
    characterized Iran as the "beating heart" of Islamic
    extremism, adding that even Palestinians now aspire to be
    Shi'a because they have bought Iranian "stories" about Shi'a
    being more prepared to "fight to the end" and stand up to
    Israel.  Now Iran is trying to infiltrate Egypt, exploiting
    poverty there.  Ambassador emphasized USG effort to pursue a
    "pressure track" with Iran; on Yemen she suggested many of
    Yemen's problems were home-grown and required economic and
    social solutions at least as much as military ones.  Shaykh
    Jaber concurred, calling President Saleh "a leader with an
    NCO mentality who thinks he can buy loyalty" when what is
    needed is strong, honest government and firmer security
    measures.  Ambassador sought GoK assurances on legality and
    intent to ensure monitoring and withholding of travel
    documents for any future GTMO returnees, noting that without
    those firm commitments the cases of the remaining two
    Kuwaitis in GTMO may prove difficult to resolve.  The
    Minister promised a more formal response but offered his
    personal assurances that travel documents would not be
    issued, and said monitoring of the last two returnees was
    constant and ongoing.  Ambassador also raised the need for
    GoK outreach to the Parliament to prioritize passage of
    pending legislation to criminalize terror financing; Shaykh
    Jaber said politics was hindering progress on this issue and
    on many other important bills, including one to criminalize
    cyber crimes, but said his Ministry was committed to pursuing
    radical extremists and ensuring the safety of Americans in
    Kuwait, with or without new laws.  End Summary.

    Iran on my mind
    ----------------

    ¶2. (S/NF)  The blunt and outspoken Minister of Interior,
    Shaykh Jaber Al-Khaled Al Sabah, told Ambassador and DCM
    February 16 that Iran is his major concern.  Iran is intent
    upon exporting its revolution and Shi'ism, has a gameplan,
    and will only be deterred from achieving its objectives -
    including a nuclear weapons capability - by force.  The U.S.
    will not be able to avoid a military conflict with Iran, if
    it is serious in its intention to prevent Tehran from
    achieving a nuclear weapons capability.  In Yemen, the
    Houthis have shown remarkable resilience - where is their
    power coming from?  Yemeni extremists are making money from
    the drug trade, moving narcotics into Saudi Arabia.  The GoK
    has been able to block some of the flow of these drugs from
    Saudi into Kuwait, but remains very concerned about this.
    Iran is involved, clearly, as a producer of drugs and a
    facilitator of transit along the
    Afghanistan-Iran-Somalia-Yemen pipeline.  Now Iran is trying
    to expand its influence in Egypt, seeking to exploit poverty
    there and infiltrate the security services.

    Iranian Mythology Resonates
    ----------------------------

    ¶3. (S/NF)  Shaykh Jaber said that the Sunni-Shi'a balance in
    the region is at risk and chaos could ensue.  Iran is
    "calling the shots" in Iraq, and has so convinced the region
    of its stories - that Shi'a and Iran will "fight to the end"
    where others will not, that only the Shi'a and Iran really
    stand up to Israel - that now many Palestinians want to
    convert to Shi'ism.  As a consequence, Iran has become "the
    beating heart of Islamic extremism."  The Minister apologized
    for speaking so frankly, but said he wanted to clearly convey
    what is of greatest concern to the GoK.

    ¶4. (S/NF) Note: The Interior Minister's concern about Iran
    may have been informed by a couple of recent incidents
    briefed February 17 to the US Navy LNO at the Kuwait Navy
    Base (see IIR septel for details).  In one incident, on
    February 6, IRGC Navy speedboats harassed Kuwaiti fishermen;
    in a more serious incident on February 15 and again on
    February 16, three IRGC Navy speedboats approached a joint
    Kuwait/Saudi oil terminal in international waters (located in
    the Al-Hout field off Mina Az-Zour), approached as close as
    fifty meters and lingered for forty-five minutes on the first
    occasion, but only fifteen minutes the second time (perhaps

    KUWAIT 00000142  002 OF 003

    as a result of the presence of the Kuwaiti patrol boat
    Istiqlal that was dispatched to the terminal to hold station
    after the first incident).  End Note.

    Pressure Track and Yemen Clarification
    ---------------------------------------

    ¶5. (S/NF)  Ambassador took issue with the Minister's
    characterization of Iran's role in Iraq and then moved to
    review U.S. efforts along the "pressure track" with Iran.  In
    Yemen, Iran may no doubt try to exploit the situation with
    the Houthis, but the causes of the conflict were largely
    internal and would require Yemeni President Saleh to pursue a
    political and social effort as well as a military campaign -
    as was noted in the recent London conference, many of Yemen's
    challenges are ones of governance.  Shaykh Jaber agreed,
    characterizing Saleh as having "an NCO's mentality that you
    can win everything with money" when what is needed is less
    corruption and a more proactive security posture.  The
    Minister noted that Kuwaiti Salafists are sympathetic to the
    cause of the southern secessionists in Yemen and are being
    watched by the GoK; he stated, however, that no Kuwaitis are
    actively involved in the fighting.  Ambassador noted that
    some in the U.S. intelligence community believe that a
    considerable number of Kuwaitis are involved with Al-Qaeda,
    particularly in the AFPAK theater; Shaykh Jaber said Kuwaitis
    tend more to be sympathizers than practitioners, but said
    they all were being watched closely.

    GTMO Assurances/Clarifications Needed
    ---------------------------------------

    ¶6. (S/NF)  The Ambassador raised the issue of the remaining
    two Kuwaiti GTMO detainees, and sought the Minister's
    confirmation that the commitments outlined in the latest
    draft diplomatic note on oversight of returnees -
    particularly with reference to constant monitoring and
    withholding of passports - were both legal and accurately
    reflected GoK intent.  Clarification of the pending
    assurances would likely be necessary given the greater
    seriousness of the cases against the remaining two.  The
    Minister promised a more formal response later, and made
    clear that he could not interfere with the activities of the
    judiciary, but said he was sure the two most recent returnees
    did not have passports, and characterized their level of
    monitoring by the security service as "so close they can
    smell us and feel our breath on the back of their necks."

    Need for Passage of AML law
    ---------------------------

    ¶7. (S/NF)  The Ambassador - as she had earlier with the
    Foreign Minister (reftel) - noted that Kuwait is now the only
    country on the Arabian Peninsula not to have criminalized
    terror financing.  A pending law is before parliament, but
    Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi had commented privately to the
    Ambassador that the government had not made its passage a
    priority for the current legislative session.  Shaykh Jaber
    responded that politics was getting in the way of much needed
    legislation, not just TF, but also a bill to define cyber
    crime.  The Minister offered his assurances that the GoK is
    very serious on the matter of terror financing and
    facilitation, with or without the law, and was committed to
    this and to protecting Americans in Kuwait.  At the close of
    the meeting, the Ambassador provided Shaykh Jaber with drop
    copies of two previous requests for information on alleged
    anti-American plotters in Kuwait, acknowledging that these
    could be "poison pen" cases, but requesting a formal response
    from the Ministry to ensure appropriate due diligence had
    been done.

    Comment
    --------

    ¶8. (S/NF)  Shaykh Jaber survived a no-confidence vote in
    Parliament late last Fall, but the GoK expended only enough
    effort to ensure his victory by a relatively narrow margin.
    The reported cost of that governmental support (arranged by a
    Prime Minister from whom Shaykh Jaber is estranged) was
    Shaykh Jaber's acceptance that KSS Chief 'Athbi Al-Fahad Al
    Sabah would report directly to the PM, not to the Interior
    Minister as has traditionally been the case.  The Interior
    Minister's tough and candid talk on Iran, consequently, while
    it offers useful insight into the private worries likely
    shared by many of Kuwait's seniormost leadership, should not
    necessarily be seen as an articulation likely to result in
    any meaningful GoK policy initiatives.

    KUWAIT 00000142  003 OF 003

    ********************************************* *********
    For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit:
    visit Kuwait's Classified Website at:

    http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Kuwa it
    ********************************************* *********
    JONES

`