US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT4186

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 004186 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON FOR TSOU 
STATE FOR NEA/FO AND NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/01/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, KMPI, PREL, SOCI, KU 
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: COMMERCE MINISTER IDENTIFIES 
ELECTORAL DISTRICTS, THE PRESS, AND POLITICAL PARTIES AS 
PRIORITIES FOR REFORM 
 
REF: STATE 152818 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reason 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C) During a September 24 meeting with Minister of 
Commerce Abdullah Al-Taweel, the Ambassador asked Al-Taweel 
for his views on next steps in political reform.  Al-Taweel 
said that, in his opinion, the top priority should be changes 
to the electoral constituencies in order to increase district 
sizes.  "The lower (the) number of districts the better," he 
said, adding that the current parliament had become "all 
about personal conflict now."  Al-Taweel said that ten 
districts was the current number being considered.  (Note: 
For parliamentary elections, there are currently 25 districts 
with some members elected by as few as 1,000 voters. End 
Note.) 
 
2.  (C) Al-Taweel identified the new press and publications 
law as the second most important reform priority, saying 
that, while people are allowed to express their opinions in 
the current Kuwait media climate, there should not be any 
government controls over the media at all.  A free and 
unfettered press is "important for democratizing Kuwait," he 
added. 
 
3.  (C) The third top priority for the GOK's reform agenda 
should be the introduction of political parties, according to 
Al-Taweel.  Without political parties, he said, the National 
Assembly will remain a hotbed of personal conflicts. 
Describing the need to further the political discussion and 
the public discourse, Al-Taweel stated that "We need to elect 
agendas, not individuals." 
 
4.  (C) Comment: Al-Taweel is considered one of the more 
progressive ministers, and he has come under attack at times 
by Islamist legislators, most recently being the target of 
criticism for price inflation in Kuwait.  Without prodding, 
Al-Taweel focused on the same democratization and reform 
priorities identified by Post and included in the Freedom 
Agenda (reftel.)  End Comment. 
 
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Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
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LEBARON