US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT1493

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 001493 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2015 
TAGS: KPAO, ETRD, PREL, KIPR, PINR, KU, IPR, Ministers 
SUBJECT: NEW MINISTER OF INFORMATION HOPES TO DISSOLVE 
MINISTRY, PLEDGES AGGRESSIVE ACTION ON INTELLECTUAL 
PROPERTY RIGHTS 
 
REF: KUWAIT 1349 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
 1. (C) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: In an introductory meeting with 
Ambassador, new Minister of Information Dr. Anas Al-Rasheed 
said that he would consider himself a successful minister if 
he were able to dissolve the ministry. He said that he is 
committed to freedom of the press and would work with the 
National Assembly to pass a liberal Press and Publications 
Law. He pledged "aggressive" action on intellectual property 
rights (IPR). Al-Rasheed said that he had already met with 
Minister of Interior Shaykh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah and 
Commerce Minister Abdullah Al-Taweel on this issue, and that 
he would work to form a joint committee comprised of the 
Ministries of Information, Interior, and Commerce to address 
enforcement issues. In the past, the Ministry of Information 
has lagged behind these other stakeholders in Kuwait's IPR 
protection efforts, and post has encouraged the ministry to 
cede its enforcement function to the Ministry of Interior. 
Al-Rasheed's recognition of Interior's role, and his apparent 
willingness to work with the other ministries sends a 
positive signal regarding future Kuwaiti IPR action. END 
SUMMARY AND COMMENT. 
 
"I Will Be Successful In This Post 
If I Am The Last Minister." 
---------------------------------- 
 
2. (C) Al-Rasheed wasted no time in sharing with the 
Ambassador his primary goal: the dissolution of the ministry. 
"I will be successful in this post if I am the last 
minister," Al-Rasheed said. Al-Rasheed briefly admitted that 
this was far easier said than done, but expressed his belief 
that a Ministry of Information had little function in a free 
society. "We will have to see how this will work," Al-Rasheed 
said. "Ensha'allah (God willing) ..." The Ambassador agreed 
that Ministries of Information in the Arab World no longer 
served a useful purpose and congratulated Al-Rasheed on his 
intention to put himself out of a job. Later in the 
conversation, the minister said that he was still feeling his 
way in the ministry and would try to earn some trust before 
bringing in some associates from the outside. 
 
3. (C) Widely hailed by members of the Kuwaiti media upon the 
announcement of his selection (reftel), Al-Rasheed brings 
significant journalistic credentials to his new post. He 
earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from 
Arkansas State University, and earned his doctorate from the 
Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He publishes 
regularly in academic journals, he said, frequently working 
with his former Arkansas State professor, Dr. Gil Fowler. The 
subject of his doctoral thesis was the professional and 
ethical values of Kuwaiti journalists.  Al-Rasheed, who said 
that at 37-years-old he is likely the youngest minister by 
far, expressed his reluctance to deal directly with Kuwaiti 
journalists. He said he preferred to issue written statements 
rather than give interviews that could be distorted. He cited 
his experience teaching journalism at Kuwait University, and 
mentioned his role as senior advisor to the editor-in-chief 
of Arabic daily Al-Qabas. 
 
 
"This Would Be A Great Achievement..." 
-------------------------------------- 
4. (C) The minister nodded and appeared to listen intently as 
the ambassador expressed his concerns about the fate of the 
draft Press and Publications Law currently before the 
National Assembly. (Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed 
Al-Sabah has championed a strict draft that would increase 
penalties for libel and defamation, more harshly regulate 
newspaper ownership and operation, and ease rules preventing 
authorities from shutting down newspapers. Members of the 
media and parliamentarians have expressed strong reservations 
about the draft.) Al-Rasheed said that he had the file on his 
desk at that moment, and that he hoped to work with both the 
Prime Minister and Parliament to resolve the issue 
satisfactorily. "This would be a great achievement," he said. 
 
 
5. (C) While Al-Rasheed said that he had elicited 
"conditions" from Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah (Note: He did 
not say what they were, but the conversation suggested they 
were in the area of press freedom. End note.) before 
accepting the post, he acknowledged that their views on a 
free press differed. He said that Shaykh Sabah considered 
Kuwait's newspapers "ambassadors," and was troubled when news 
that could be perceived as negative appeared in the press. 
"In a free society, this is how newspapers should look like 
(sic)," Al-Rasheed said he told the Prime Minister. "If you 
have everything fine (in the press), we are talking about 
Saddam Hussein now." 
 
IPR: "Our Country Is Looking Bad..." 
---------------------------------- 
 
6. (C) Responding to Ambassador LeBaron's assessment of the 
ministry's performance on IPR issues ("we've had some good 
and not-so-good experiences..."), Al-Rasheed said that he and 
his ministry would work "a lot harder." He said that he had 
already met with Commerce Minister Al-Taweel and Interior 
Minister Shaykh Nawwaf. Told by the economic counselor that 
post had suggested in the past transferring some aspects of 
enforcement from Information to Interior, Al-Rasheed said 
that he hoped to form a joint committee with Interior and 
Commerce to work together on enforcement. Econ/C suggested 
that Kuwaiti Customs be involved. "Our country is looking 
bad," Al-Rasheed admitted. Al-Rasheed said that there were 
problems with the laws, which prevented enforcement officers 
from entering closed shops in hopes of seizing pirated goods, 
and that the government often lacked follow up. But he 
suggested a radio and television IPR awareness campaign, and 
said, "With time you'll see, Mr. Ambassador, I'll be very 
aggressive in this area." 
 
Biographical Information 
------------------------ 
 
7. (C) Bio Data: As the meeting concluded, Al-Rasheed spoke 
about his family. He said that he has 15 brothers, and that 
his father, a former pearl diver with no formal education, 
had three wives. Al-Rasheed is the son of his father's 
youngest, and final, wife. (He wryly noted the complexities 
of having a mother who is younger than some of his sisters.) 
Al-Rasheed's was a long-time member of the National Assembly, 
who, he said, is still very well-respected. He said that an 
uncle, Abdul Aziz Al-Rasheed, is the "Father of Kuwaiti 
Journalism" -- having established, in 1928, Kuwait's first 
magazine, called, "Kuwait Magazine." He said that his sister 
was "the first or second" female lawyer in Kuwait. Al-Rasheed 
has more connections to the U.S. than just his education. He 
said that while he was in school in the U.S. during the first 
Gulf War, he volunteered to serve with the U.S. Army and 
trained at Fort Dix, N.J. He said that he counseled family 
members of American servicemen and women who died during the 
war. and that as an active member of the Kuwait Foundation, a 
Kuwaiti organization dedicated to improving U.S.- Kuwaiti 
ties, he was involved in organizing receptions and exchanges 
for Americans and Kuwaitis. He has also participated in 
exchanges with journalism students from his alma mater, 
Arkansas State. He said that one of his daughters was born in 
the U.S. in 1995, while he was in school. 
LEBARON