US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT4406

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004406 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/11/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, IZ, KU, SUCCESSION, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, FREEDOM AGENDA 
SUBJECT: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SPEAKER ON SUCCESSION, PROJECT 
KUWAIT, POLITICAL REFORM, KATRINA AID, AND U.S. POLICY 
 
REF: KUWAIT 4372 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C) Summary/Comment: The Ambassador met October 12 with 
National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi for a periodic 
update on a range of issues.  The speaker quickly turned to 
recent dispute within the ruling family (reftel).  Al-Khorafi 
said the Amir's strong public support for the Prime Minister 
in response to National Guard Chief Shaykh Salem Al-Ali 
Al-Salem Al-Sabah's call for the formation of a three-member 
consultative committee demonstrated "who's the boss."  Asked 
about rumors the Crown Prince would be removed, Al-Khorafi 
said that while "everything is possible," the Amir is 
unlikely to replace the Crown Prince, commenting that 
"everyone will want to continue in the present situation." 
On legislative priorities for the National Assembly session 
starting next week, Al-Khorafi predicted the passage of the 
controversial northern oil fields project legislation and the 
approval of aid for hurricane Katrina victims.  He was 
optimistic the Press and Publications law would be approved, 
though he expressed doubt a proposal to reduce the number of 
electoral districts would be passed.  Regarding Iraq, 
Al-Khorafi stressed the importance of U.S. troops remaining 
in the country and urged the USG to listen to the concerns of 
neighboring countries, particularly Saudi Arabia.  He also 
expressed concerns about several U.S. visa and immigration 
policies and encouraged more high-level USG visits to the 
region.  Comment: Khorafi was eager to reassure us, that 
although serious, the recent spat in the Al-Sabah family is 
not going to get out of hand.  While many believe that the 
next shoe to drop will be the "resignation" of the Crown 
Prince, paving the way for Shaykh Sabah to take over this 
spot while retaining his premiership, Khorafi professed no 
inside knowledge on this possible option.  (End 
summary/comment) 
 
Amir's Support for Shaykh Sabah Resolved Family Debate 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
2.  (C) The Amir's public support for Prime Minister Shaykh 
Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in response to National 
Guard Chief Shaykh Salem Al-Ali Al-Salem Al-Sabah's call for 
the formation of a three-member committee to run the country 
clearly demonstrated to Shaykh Salem Al-Ali that "Shaykh 
Sabah is in charge."  "There is no possibility of going 
around the Prime Minister," Al-Khorafi said.  Although Shaykh 
Salem Al-Ali has publicly criticized the Government before, 
his recent comments, by "indirectly questioning the Amir's 
authority," were "the straw that broke the camel's back," 
Al-Khorafi noted.  He claimed Shaykh Salem's comments 
reflected the views of a few "members of the (ruling) family 
who are grumbling about positions" and were exaggerated by 
Kuwait's rumor mill.  The Amir's backing of the Prime 
Minister "stopped all these activities.  Everyone now knows 
who's the boss," Al-Khorafi told the Ambassador. 
 
3.  (C) Asked about rumors the Crown Prince would be 
replaced, Al-Khorafi responded, "Everything is possible, but 
nothing specific has been decided."  The Government wants to 
avoid initiating a constitutional process to remove the Crown 
Prince, who is scheduled to return to Kuwait October 18 from 
London where he is receiving medical treatment, Al-Khorafi 
said.  He added, "I think everyone will want to continue in 
the present situation."  Al-Khorafi said National Assembly 
members (MPs) were "100% behind the Amir's comments" and 
expressed their "sincere" support for him in their October 11 
meeting with Al-Khorafi. 
 
Project Kuwait, Electoral Districts, 
Press Law, and Katrina Aid 
------------------------------------ 
 
4.  (C) Although he hoped for a smooth National Assembly 
opening, Al-Khorafi warned "there may be some rough rides." 
Noting that "some MPs will request some laws the Government 
will not want passed," he suggested voting on this 
legislation could be postponed until the next National 
Assembly session, which will be closer to elections and 
therefore less likely to be approved.  He did not specify 
which legislation fell into this category. 
 
5.  (C) Asked about the status of Project Kuwait, Al-Khorafi 
predicted the controversial plan to develop Kuwait's northern 
oil fields would be passed in the upcoming National Assembly 
session.  "A majority of the MPs support the plan" as 
approved by the Ministry of Finance and the Government, he 
said. 
 
6.  (C) Resolving the electoral districts issue "will take 
time," Al-Khorafi told the Ambassador.  He said there are two 
problems with the proposed reduction in electoral 
constituencies: geographic division of the larger districts, 
and disagreement over the number of districts.  The National 
Assembly is divided between those that support the reduction 
and those opposed to it, he noted; however, supporters of the 
reform cannot agree on whether five or ten districts are 
preferable.  Asked why the Government introduced two 
proposals to reduce the number of electoral districts in the 
last National Assembly session, Al-Khorafi laughingly 
admitted it was "to confuse the National Assembly; he added 
that the proposals have been "sleeping in a committee until 
now." 
 
7.  (C) Al-Khorafi told the Ambassador "we are getting 
closer" to passage of the Press and Publications law, adding 
"there is a great chance it will pass in this session of the 
National Assembly."  Al-Khorafi also predicted the additional 
$400 million in aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina promised 
by the GOK would be approved by the National Assembly in its 
upcoming session "without any problems." 
 
Stay the Course in Iraq 
----------------------- 
 
8.  (C) The Ambassador told Al-Khorafi that there was 
compromise on the Iraqi Constitution, which should alleviate 
some of the Sunni concerns about the current draft 
constitution.  While the insurgents and Al-Qaeda elements in 
Iraq do not care what kind of constitution is adopted, the 
Ambassador argued that most Iraqis want to participate in the 
political process.  Al-Khorafi responded, saying while many 
Sunni want to participate, "they are scared because they do 
not have militias to back them."  He stressed the importance 
of "everyone knowing you are not going to leave the country" 
and said the insurgents were trying to pressure the U.S. to 
leave.  Al-Khorafi also urged the U.S. to "take into account" 
that other countries in the region, like Syria, were taking 
actions to "irritate" the U.S., but this should not distract 
us from the critical work in Iraq.  Khorafi said that these 
irritations would desist when and if the situation stabilizes 
in Iraq. 
 
9  (C) Al-Khorafi asked the Ambassador, "How are you getting 
along with Saudi Arabia?"  The Ambassador responded that on 
core interests the U.S. and Saudi Arabia cooperation is very 
good.  Al-Khorafi responded, stressing the importance of 
listening to the position of Saudi government on Iraq and of 
issues of concern raised by the Saudis.  "Don't let these 
concerns drag.  They are very important," he said. 
 
Concerns About U.S. Policy 
-------------------------- 
 
10.  (C) The Speaker expressed concern about several U.S. 
policies to the Ambassador during their meeting.  Al-Khorafi 
questioned the U.S. decision to deny visas to Cuban and 
Iranian delegates to the recent International Parliamentary 
Union (IPU) meeting in New York, which Al-Khorafi attended as 
head of the Kuwaiti delegation.  The IPU's decision to 
unanimously condemn the U.S. for the action put Kuwait in the 
position of having to criticize the U.S., he commented. 
Al-Khorafi also urged the USG to improve its immigration 
procedures, noting that Kuwaiti Airways' pilots have even 
nicknamed the secondary inspection room at U.S. airports used 
to question entrants to the U.S. 
 
11.  (C) Al-Khorafi emphasized the importance of high-level 
USG visits to the country.  "We know your country, the 
problem is you do not know our country," Al-Khorafi said, 
adding the visits should be for more than half a day. 
 
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LEBARON