US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT4190

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 004190 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, KDEM, KISL, SOCI, KU, FREEDOM AGENDA 
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA:  UNPRECEDENTED 
LIBERAL-ISLAMIST-SHI'A ALLIANCE AGREE ON POLITICAL REFORM 
AGENDA 
 
REF: KUWAIT 3775 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C) Summary and comment: Emboffs have confirmed that an 
unprecedented alliance of liberal, Islamist, and Shi'a 
political associations have been meeting since the end of May 
to negotiate a political reform agenda.  Former Minister of 
Information Dr. Saad Bin Tefla Al-Ajmi said the associations 
agreed on a "tripartite" agenda calling for three key 
political reforms: (1) reforming the electoral system, (2) 
permitting the formation of political parties, and (3) 
allowing private citizens to challenge legislation before the 
Constitutional Court.  Mohammed Al-Dallal, Political 
Relations Chief for the Islamic Constitutional Movement 
(ICM), confirmed his organization's participation in the 
meetings and said there was broad consensus on the reform 
agenda.  Abudul Hussein Al-Sultan, the Secretary General of 
the Peace and Justice Gathering, a moderate Shi'a political 
association, said the strategy for implementing the reform 
agenda would focus on asserting pressure in four areas: the 
National Assembly, local media, diwaniyas, and the political 
associations' networks.  Several contacts, however, doubted 
whether the meetings would affect real political reform, 
arguing that some associations were using the meetings to 
promote their own agenda.  In particular, controversial 
issues like the implementation of Islamic Shari'a, which some 
Islamist groups support, and the granting of greater social 
freedoms, set aside in order to promote the more crucial 
issue of political reform, could create dissension and 
undermine agreement on the reform agenda.  At the very least, 
these unprecedented meetings indicate an emerging consensus 
among Kuwait's political associations that political reform 
is essential to the future development of the country.  End 
summary and comment. 
 
Ideological Opposites Agree on One Thing: Need for Reform 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
2.  (C) Former Minister of Information Dr. Saad Bin Tefla 
Al-Ajmi told Emboffs that a wide variety of political 
associations ranging from Liberal to Islamist to Shi'a have 
been meeting together since the end of May to discuss 
political reform.  He said the meetings were directed by a 
group of former ministers and parliamentarians called the 
National Accord Movement (NAM); Al-Ajmi is a member of NAM, 
which is led by Abdullah Al-Mfarrej, a former Minister of 
Justice.  Al-Ajmi claimed the political associations recently 
agreed on a tripartite document calling for three essential 
reforms: (1) reforming the electoral system, specifically 
reducing the number of electoral districts from 25 to 10, 
lowering the voting age from 21 to 18, and granting military 
and police personnel the right to vote; (2) recognizing 
political parties (Note: While Constitutionally legal, the 
formation of political parties is in practice restricted by 
the Government.  Numerous political associations exist, 
however, and are active in the National Assembly.  End 
note.); and (3) granting private citizens the right to 
challenge legislation before the Constitutional Court. 
Al-Ajmi asked Emboffs to strictly protect this information 
since it could damage agreement between the associations if 
publicized. 
 
3.  (C) Various embassy contacts confirmed that an 
unprecedented range of political associations have been 
meeting to discuss political reform.  Islamist associations 
included: the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM), the 
political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait; the Ummah 
Party, a Scientific Salafi splinter group that provoked legal 
controversy by declaring itself a party; and the Traditional 
Salafis, represented at the meetings by Secretary General 
Khaled Al-Sultan, whom Dr. Al-Ajmi characterized as "the 
godfather of the Salafis" in Kuwait.  Among the Liberal 
associations attending were the Kuwait Democratic Forum 
(KDF), the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and the 
National Democratic Movement (NDM).  The main Shi'a 
associations represented were the Peace and Justice Gathering 
and the Shi'a Clerics Gathering, led by outspoken Shi'a 
cleric Sayed Mohammed Baqer Al-Mohri.  Al-Ajmi claimed the 
associations were considering calling for a boycott of the 
2007 parliamentary elections if the Government did not 
implement the agreed upon reforms. 
 
Groups Unite in Symbolic Opposition to the GOK 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
4.  (C) Mohammed Al-Dallal, Political Relations Chief for the 
Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM), confirmed his 
organization's participation in the meetings and said there 
was broad consensus on the reform agenda.  Political reforms 
are essential to stopping widespread government corruption 
and to spurring government action on important legislation, 
Al-Dallal argued, adding that internal disputes within the 
ruling family over succession have created political deadlock 
in the country.   Members of selected groups were assigned 
the task of writing a report on one of the agreed upon 
reforms and suggesting means of implementation.  The reports 
will be presented to the associations when the meetings, 
suspended for the summer, resume at the end of September, 
Al-Dallal said. 
 
5.  (C) Abdul Hussein Al-Sultan, Secretary General of the 
Peace and Justice Gathering, a moderate Shi'a political 
association, said "all the political associations in Kuwait 
were represented," except the National Islamic Alliance 
(NIA), reputed to have close ties to Iran and often referred 
to as "Kuwaiti Hizbollah."  (Comment: "Kuwaiti Hizbollah" is 
a pejorative term applied by Kuwait State Security to Shi'a 
it considers to be militant.  There is no/no political or 
religious group in Kuwait calling itself Kuwaiti Hizbollah. 
End comment.)  Al-Sultan confirmed that the associations 
agreed on the three key reforms outlined above.  He also 
echoed Al-Dallal's view that consensus on reform emerged in 
opposition to consolidation of political power in the hands 
of Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. 
 
Reform Agenda to be Released before Parliament Reconvenes 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
6.  (C) Asked how the meetings could affect political reform 
in Kuwait, Al-Sultan said the strategy for implementing the 
reform agenda would focus on asserting pressure in four 
areas: the National Assembly, local media, diwaniyas, and the 
political associations' networks.  The reforms would be 
addressed in the upcoming National Assembly session, which 
begins October 17, he said, noting that the associations 
participating in the meetings were affiliated with 12 members 
of the National Assembly (MPs).  Another 20 MPs could be 
lobbied to support the reform agenda, he added.  Al-Sultan 
also said Al-Mfarrej and Yousef Al-Nisif, a top NAM member, 
would meet with the Prime Minister, who returns to Kuwait 
from the UNGA September 26, to discuss the political 
associations' meetings and to present the reform agenda. 
 
7.  (C) Al-Sultan asked for information on U.S. programs 
offering training on political organization and party 
politics.  He also requested books, websites, and/or other 
materials on the political organization.  He claimed most 
Kuwaiti political associations, except for Salafis, would 
gladly participate in U.S.-funded training seminars in Kuwait 
or elsewhere in the region.  Post provided information on the 
MEPI small grants program and also shared with him Public 
Affairs materials. 
 
8.  (C) Liberal political activist Ahmed Deyyain said he 
expected the associations to issue an official reform agenda 
before the opening of the National Assembly on October 17. 
 
Dissenting View: Only Political Jockeying 
----------------------------------------- 
 
9.  (C) Some argue that the meetings on political reform are 
unlikely to yield tangible results.  Nasser Al-Abdaly, head 
of the liberal Kuwaiti Society for Developing Democracy 
(KSDD), discounted the possibility of substantive political 
reform resulting from the meetings.  Al-Abdaly said he was 
invited to participate in the meetings, but declined when NAM 
head Al-Mfarrej told him that the Prime Minister was "an 
obstinate personality who does not listen to others." 
According to Al-Abdaly, Al-Mfarrej stressed that the meetings 
would send a "message" to Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah. 
Al-Abdaly cynically dismissed this view, arguing that the 
Prime Minister would not/not be influenced to implement 
reform by the political associations. 
 
10.  (C) Both Al-Ajmi and Al-Abdaly separately expressed the 
opinion that the ICM was trying to take credit for the 
meetings when Al-Dallal went public with the reform program 
in an interview with Arabic-language daily Al-Watan, 
indicating possible divisions between the associations. 
Al-Sultan similarly questioned whether Islamic associations 
might use political reforms to usher in their own 
conservative political agendas.  Some contacts also question 
whether agreement on reform could be undermined by the 
associations' radically different positions on social, 
economic, and judicial issues. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
11.  (C) Usually vehemently antagonistic towards each other, 
these meetings are the first time associations from opposite 
sides of the political spectrum in Kuwait have united to 
pursue common goals and indicate an emerging consensus among 
Kuwait's political associations that political reform is 
essential to the future development of the country.  If the 
associations manage to coordinate their political activities, 
a formidable force for reform could emerge. 
 
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