US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT4479

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 004479 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, KU, SUCCESSION 
SUBJECT: MINISTER FOR AMIRI DIWAN AFFAIRS SHAYKH NASSER ON 
SUCCESSION AND THE AMIR'S HEALTH 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 4445 
 
     B. KUWAIT 4438 (AND PREVIOUS) 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C) The Ambassador met October 18 with Minister of Amiri 
Diwan Affairs Shaykh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber 
Al-Sabah.  Shaykh Nasser said the recent succession 
controversy within the ruling family (reftels) "is calming," 
although he commented that "there will be some issues in the 
coming weeks."  Asked for more detail, Shaykh Nasser said the 
Amir "may make a decision" and "will put his house in order" 
when the Crown Prince returns on October 19 from London where 
he is receiving medical treatment.  What that decision might 
be, "we don't know," he said.  Before the meeting, 
Undersecretary for Amiri Diwan Affairs Khalid Al-Bannai told 
the Ambassador he expected "a lot of talk, but little action" 
when the Crown Prince returns to Kuwait. 
 
2.  (C) Shaykh Nasser repeated several times that National 
Guard Chief and leading ruling family member Shaykh Salem 
Al-Ali Al-Salem Al-Sabah's recent comments calling for the 
formation of a tripartite committee to run the country were 
"very unfortunate." 
 
Bio Note: Amir 
-------------- 
 
3.  (C) Shaykh Nasser told the Ambassador that the Amir was 
in "very good" physical health and in "perfect" mental 
health.  Although the Amir's Parkinson's disease worsened 
after his stroke in 2001, Shaykh Nasser said that his health 
improved after receiving medical treatment this summer at the 
Cleveland Clinic and changing his medications.  Despite very 
poor eyesight, the Amir is an avid reader and often reads the 
daily newspapers, Shaykh Nasser remarked, putting his hand an 
inch from his nose to demonstrate how the Amir reads.  He 
said the Amir had himself read carefully the recent criticism 
by Shaykh Salem Al-Ali. 
 
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LEBARON