US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT3857

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 003857 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, INR/NESA, INR/B 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/23/2013 
TAGS: PINR, PGOV, PREL, KU 
SUBJECT: (U) KUWAIT'S NEW MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS, BADER 
AL-HAMAIDI 
 
REF: KUWAIT 03141 
 
Classified By: CDA Frank C. Urbancic; reason 1.5 (b, d) 
 
1. (C) Contrary to reftel, Kuwait's new Minister of Public 
Works and Minister of State for Housing Affairs, Mr. Bader 
Nasser Al-Hamaidi, is not/not the long-time director of the 
Kuwait Fund for Arab and Economic Development (KFAED), who 
shares a similar name (Bader al-Humaidhi), but rather an 
ex-fighter pilot with experience working at the Kuwait Stock 
Exchange (KSE). 
 
2. (C) The Ambassador met with the new Minister on July 30. 
Hamaidi told him he had been an A-4 Skyhawk pilot and had 
flown with U.S. forces in Yuma, AZ and San Antonio, TX before 
his 1985 resignation from the Kuwait Air Force.  After his 
resignation, Al-Hamaidi said he went to New York City, where 
he took a  6-month course at the New York Stock Exchange. 
Upon the completion of this course, that same year, he 
returned to Kuwait and joined the staff of the Kuwait 
Investment Authority.  He later became the head of a local 
real estate company and then a member of the Board of the 
Kuwait Stock Exchange.  Al-Hamaidi mentioned numerous times 
that he had "come from the private sector" along with the 
majority of the new GOK ministers. 
 
3. (C) Comment: The new Minister is relatively young (we 
estimate early 50's), very congenial and proficient in 
English. Reform plans he shared with the Ambassador (septel) 
indicate he will attempt to reform his Ministry and its 
activities along market-oriented lines. 
URBANCIC