US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT5045

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 005045 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, INR/B, INR/NESA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/29/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, KU 
SUBJECT: (U) SHAYKH NAWAF UPGRADED TO "FIRST DEPUTY PRIME 
MINISTER" 
 
Classified By: AMB. RICHARD H. JONES; REASON 1.5 (B,D) 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister 
Shaykh Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, half-brother to both 
the Amir and the Prime Minister, has just been officially 
elevated to First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior 
Minister.  This changes nothing in practice, but cements the 
authority of Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah al-Ahmed.  As Nawaf 
is not a strong figure, he poses no threat to Sabah.  His 
elevation helps keep at bay the elder shaykhs of the rival 
Salem line, without unduly threatening the younger 
generation.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U)  On October 26, an Amiri Decree elevated Deputy Prime 
Minister and Interior Minister Shaykh Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Jaber 
al-Sabah to First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior 
Minister.  Shaykh Nawaf is a half-brother of both the Amir 
and the Prime Minister, though all three had different 
mothers.  (Note:  there are two other DPMs:  the Defense 
Minister, who is also a member of the ruling family, and the 
Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of State 
for National Assembly Affairs, who is not.  End Note.)  In 
practice, Shaykh Nawaf was already functioning as de facto 
First DPM.  It was he, for instance, who attended our 
national day reception on October 13.  In the official 
protocol order of state, he outranked the other DPMs. 
 
3.  (C) This move cements the authority of Prime Minister 
Shaykh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah.  For one thing, it 
underscores the separation of the position of Prime Minister 
from that of Crown Prince.  (Note:  from independence until 
this past July, the Crown Prince was always Prime Minister. 
Until being named Prime Minister in July, Shaykh Sabah was 
First DPM and Foreign Minister. End Note.)  It also 
strengthens the hold of the Jaber branch of the ruling 
family. 
 
4.  (NF) Shaykh Nawaf, born in 1937, has a long history of 
government service (he was Defense Minister at the time of 
the Iraqi invasion; until his appointment in July, he was 
Deputy Commander of the National Guard) but is neither highly 
educated nor particularly sophisticated, and is not seen as a 
strong figure.  Loyalty and bloodline appear to be his 
selling points:  he presents no threat to Shaykh Sabah, and 
is not generally seen as a prospective Amir.  Elevating him 
helps to keep at bay the elder shaykhs of the Salem line, 
without unduly threatening the younger generation. 
(Background Note:  the Amir must be a direct descendant of 
Mubarak the Great, but in practice all rulers since Mubarak 
have come from the lineage of only two of his sons, Jaber and 
Salem, and almost always alternately.  The aged and ailing 
Crown Prince is a Salem, as are National Guard Commander 
Shaykh Salem al-Ali al-Salem al-Sabah -- who actually 
outranks the Prime Minister in the protocol of state -- and 
Chairman of the National Committee for Missing and POW 
Affairs Shaykh Salem Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, who outranks 
Nawaf.  Foreign Minister Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Sabah al-Salem 
al-Sabah, Shaykh Salem's younger half-brother, is widely seen 
as a leading candidate for the top spot.  Still in his 
forties, he currently ranks 14th out of 16 in the Cabinet. 
End Note.) 
JONES