US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT4846

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 004846 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI AND EB 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2015 
TAGS: EAID, AMER, PREL, PGOV, ENRG, KU, KATRINA AID 
SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE PASSES KATRINA AID PACKAGE 
DESPITE RESERVATIONS OF SOME MPS 
 
REF: KUWAIT 4281 (AND PREVIOUS) 
 
Classified By: CDA Matthew Tueller for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C) During its November 20 meeting, the National 
Assembly's Budget and Closing Accounts Committee approved the 
GOK's $500 million hurricane Katrina aid package.  Islamist 
MP Dr. Nasser Al-Sane, a member of the Budget and Closing 
Accounts Committee told Poloff November 21 that the National 
Assembly would most likely vote on, and approve, the aid 
package in its next regularly scheduled session on November 
28.  According to Al-Sane, the money would be disbursed as 
follows: $100 million in cash donations to humanitarian 
organizations working on hurricane Katrina relief (Note: $25 
million of this $100 million has already been disbursed 
(reftel).), $100 million in fuel for OIF, and the remaining 
$300 million in petroleum products given to "the United 
States"; he did not specify how or to whom these petroleum 
products would be given.  (Note: We have received conflicting 
figures on the amounts earmarked for each of the three 
different means of disbursement (reftel).) 
 
2.  (C) Al-Sane, one of two MPs in the National Assembly 
associated with the Islamic Constitutional Movement, the 
political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait, said that 
although the committee approved the aid package, several MPs, 
including himself, had some reservations about the aid. 
First, MPs felt slighted by the Council of Minister's 
approval of the aid without adding the qualifying language, 
"upon approval by the National Assembly."  Second, MPs 
questioned the relevance of the $100 million in OIF fuel to 
hurricane Katrina relief operations.  Al-Sane acknowledged 
that the public attention given to the aid package made it 
politically infeasible to make amendments, even reallocating 
the aid to more direct humanitarian purposes.  He predicted 
the National Assembly would approve the aid package, though 
these objections may be aired publicly during debate 
preceding the vote. 
 
3.  (C) In a November 20 meeting with Poloff prior to the 
approval of the Katrina aid package, MP Jamal Al-Omar, the 
Rapporteur of the Budget and Closing Accounts Committee and 
an independent, pro-government legislator, expressed a 
different opinion, stating that given the close and friendly 
U.S.-Kuwaiti relationship the $500 million aid package was 
"the least we could do."  He predicted easy passage of the 
Katrina aid in both his committee and the National Assembly. 
 
4.  (C) Comment: Al-Sane's breakdown of the assistance 
package differs from the Foreign Minister's description 
(reftel).  Al-Sane's figures confirm Embassy's original 
understanding of the allocations.  While the total GOK 
assistance package is unlikely to change, the allocations 
could alter after the National Assembly votes on the package 
at the November 28 session. End comment. 
 
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TUELLER