US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT4588

UNCLAS KUWAIT 004588 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA 
 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, KISL, KU, SHI'A 
SUBJECT: FOUR SHI'A POLITICAL ASSOCIATIONS FORM COALITION 
TO ADVOCATE FOR GREATER SHI'A RIGHTS 
 
REF: KUWAIT 4451 
 
1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: LEADERS OF FOUR LOCAL SHI'A POLITICAL 
ASSOCIATIONS ANNOUNCED OCTOBER 23 THE FORMATION OF A SHI'A 
UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION, THE NATIONAL SOCIETIES COALITION 
(NSC), TO ADVOCATE FOR GREATER SHI'A RIGHTS AND TO COORDINATE 
EFFORTS IN THE 2007 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS.  TWO OF THE FIVE 
SHI'A MPS CURRENTLY IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ARE ASSOCIATED 
WITH THE NEW COALITION: MP SALEH ASHOUR AND MP DR. YOUSEF 
AL-ZALZALEH.  IRONICALLY, THE NATIONAL ISLAMIC ALLIANCE 
(NIA), A CONSERVATIVE SHIA ASSOCIATION REPUTED TO HAVE CLOSE 
TIES TO IRAN, REFUSED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NSC ON THE 
GROUNDS THAT THE COALITION WAS TOO SECTARIAN.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (SBU) AT AN OFFICIAL PRESS CONFERENCE HELD OCTOBER 23, 
LEADERS OF FOUR SHI'A POLITICAL ASSOCIATIONS -- SECRETARY 
GENERAL OF THE PEACE AND JUSTICE GATHERING (PJG) ABDUL 
HUSSEIN AL-SULTAN, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE SHI'A CLERICS 
GATHERING (SCG) SAYED MOHAMMED BAQER AL-MOHRI, SECRETARY 
GENERAL OF THE NATIONAL CHARTER GROUP (NCG) ABDUL HADI 
AL-SALEH, AND SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ISLAMIC NATIONAL 
CONSENSUS MOVEMENT (INCM) DR. NIZAR MULLA-JOMA -- ANNOUNCED 
THE FORMATION OF THE NATIONAL SOCIETIES COALITION (NSC).  THE 
NSC WILL SERVE AS AN UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION TO COORDINATE THE 
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES OF THE FOUR SEPARATE GROUPS. 
 
3.  (SBU) THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE NSC ARE TO PROMOTE 
"POLITICAL REFORM, AMENDMENT OF THE ELECTORAL DISTRICTS, THE 
INDEPENDENCE OF THE JUDICIARY SYSTEM, THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF 
POLITICAL PARTIES, EDUCATIONAL REFORM, REFRESHING THE LOCAL 
ECONOMY, DEVELOPING THE MEDIA, REVEALING THE PRINCIPLE OF 
EQUALITY, AND ACTIVATING THE ROLE OF THE KUWAITI WOMEN," THE 
DAILY STAR QUOTED NSC TREASURER DHARI AL-SHAMALI AS SAYING. 
THE COALITION WILL ALSO COORDINATE EFFORTS BETWEEN THE FOUR 
GROUPS IN THE 2007 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS TO INCREASE THE 
CHANCES OF SHI'A CANDIDATES BEING ELECTED.  (NOTE: THERE ARE 
CURRENTLY FIVE MPS IN THE 50-MEMBER NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FROM 
KUWAIT'S MINORITY SHI'A, WHO REPRESENT APPROXIMATELY A THIRD 
OF KUWAIT'S POPULATION.  END NOTE.) 
 
4.  (SBU) NSC DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL DR. ABDEL WAHED 
AL-KHALFAN EMPHASIZED THAT THE COALITION IS "NOT A SECTARIAN 
GROUP" AND WILL "OPERATE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE KUWAITI 
CONSTITUTION AND ITS LAWS," BUT ADDED THAT "WE HAVE OUR 
ISSUES REGARDING SECTARIAN DISCRIMINATION IN GOVERNMENT POSTS 
AND PLACES OF WORSHIP," LOCAL PRESS REPORTED.  NSC SECRETARY 
GENERAL ABDUL HUSSEIN AL-SULTAN TOLD LOCAL PRESS THAT 
PROMOTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF POLITICAL PARTIES WILL BE ONE 
OF THE MAIN GOALS OF THE COALITION.  HE ADDED THAT "THERE IS 
NO SUCH THING AS A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY WITHOUT THE EXISTENCE 
OF POLITICAL PARTIES." 
 
5.  (SBU) SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE SCG SAYED MOHAMMED BAQER 
AL-MOHRI TOLD POLOFF OCTOBER 24 THAT THE KUWAITI GOVERNMENT 
REACTED FAVORABLY TO THE FORMATION OF THE NSC SINCE THE 
GROUPS INVOLVED HAVE A REPUTATION FOR MODERATION.  AL-MOHRI 
DISMISSED LOCAL PRESS REPORTS SUGGESTING THE FORMATION OF THE 
COALITION WAS INFLUENCED BY EVENTS IN IRAQ, SAYING THE 
ANNOUNCEMENT WAS THE CULMINATION OF TWO YEARS OF NEGOTIATIONS 
BETWEEN THE GROUPS.  HE ADDED THAT A SHI'A ASSOCIATION 
ASSOCIATED WITH THE IMAM SADEQ MOSQUE ALSO PARTICIPATED IN 
THE NEGOTIATIONS AS AN "OBSERVER," BUT DID NOT OFFICIALLY 
JOIN THE COALITION.  ASKED WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE SHIA 
POPULATION THE COALITION REPRESENTED, AL-MOHRI SAID SPECIFIC 
FIGURES WERE DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE SINCE MOST POLITICAL 
ASSOCIATIONS HAVE A LIMITED MEMBERSHIP THAT DOES NOT REFLECT 
THEIR BROADER PUBLIC SUPPORT. 
 
6.  (SBU) HOLDING KEY POSITIONS IN THE COALITION ARE 
SECRETARY GENERAL ABDUL HUSSEIN AL-SULTAN (PJG), DEPUTY 
 
SIPDIS 
SECRETARY GENERAL DR. ABDEL WAHID AL-KHALFAN (PJG), SECRETARY 
 
SIPDIS 
SHAIBA BIN SHAIBA (INCM), AND TREASURER DHARI AL-SHAMALI. 
MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZATION ALSO INCLUDE DR. ABD AL-SAMIAA 
BEHBEHANI, AL-SAYED REDA AL-TABTABAEI (NCG), SHAYKH AHMED 
HUSSEIN (SCG), NAGY QALLAF (SCG), AND SHABIH BIN SHABIH 
(INCM). 
 
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