Cablegate: Philippines Requests Kuwait Reconsider Decision To

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS KUWAIT 003684

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/NGA SA/INS, DRL/PHD, DRL/ILA, G/TIP
STATE FOR CA/OCS/ACS/NESA, M/P FOR JAY ANANIA
DOL FOR ILAB

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB MOPS PREL PHUM ETRD EAID KU IZ RP
SUBJECT: PHILIPPINES REQUESTS KUWAIT RECONSIDER DECISION TO
LIFT IRAQ TRAVEL BAN

REF: A. KUWAIT 3590
B. KUWAIT 3262

As reported in Ref A, the Government of Kuwait (GOK) informed
the Governments of India, the Philippines, and Pakistan on
October 19 that it would no longer prevent their nationals
from entering Iraq from Kuwait. In the wake of that
decision, local newspapers have reported that Manila has
instructed the Philippines' Ambassador to Kuwait, Bayani
Mangibin, to demarche the GOK and request that Kuwait
reconsider this decision. The papers quote Philippine
Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo as saying that "This is not
the time to let Filipino drivers and other (overseas workers)
go to Iraq because the situation is very fluid." Romulo is
also reported to have said that "we can revisit the situation
in Iraq after the elections." Filipino workers, on the other
hand, are pleased with the GOK's decision, according to the
English-language daily Arab Times. In an interview with the
paper, truck driver Armando Torres, who is employed by a
Kuwaiti company, commented that he and his coworkers believe
that the financial benefits of working in Iraq outweigh the
risks.

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Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/

You can also access this site through the State Department's
Classified SIPRNET website
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