US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT5083

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 005083 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/PI, NEA/ARPI, LONDON FOR TSOU AND 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/11/2010 
TAGS: CVIS, KDEM, KPAO, KU, KWMN, PGOV, PHUM, PREL, 
FREEDOM AGENDA 
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: KUWAITI INFORMATION MINISTER 
ELATED ABOUT NEW PRESS LAW 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 5061 
     B. KUWAIT 5016 
     C. KUWAIT 4999 
     D. STATE 216186 
     E. KUWAIT 4776 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C)  Summary: During a December 7 meeting, Minister of 
Information Dr. Anas Al-Rasheed told the Ambassador that he 
was very pleased by the progress of the revised press law and 
he believes it has a very good chance of being approved by 
the National Assembly in the near future.  Al-Rasheed said 
that PM Shaykh Sabah had been key to pushing the bill through 
the Council of Ministers in an acceptable form.  The 
Ambassador used the occasion to request elimination of 
Al-Manar from ARABSAT. On other topics, the Minister 
indicated cautious optimism about the proposal to reduce the 
number of electoral districts.  The Ambassador and the 
Minister discussed issues surrounding the decline in the 
number of Kuwaitis studying in U.S. universities.  The 
Minister dismissed the importance of a recent court case 
against Al-Watan newspaper.  PAO accompanied the Ambassador 
to determine areas of possible cooperation and support.  End 
summary. 
 
Press Law Moving Forward Steadily 
--------------------------------- 
2. (C) The Ambassador and PAO Tanya Anderson met with 
Minister of Information Anas Al-Rasheed for an hour on 
December 7, primarily to discuss the progress of the revised 
Press Law -- a "Freedom Agenda" priority.  The Minister was 
visibly pleased by the progress that the revised press law 
had made so far, having received cabinet approval after long 
and sometimes difficult discussions among government 
ministers.  Al-Rasheed noted his personal championship of the 
new law and said that he had stuck to his guns on key issues 
in the face of considerable opposition and he heaped praise 
on the Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah for giving him the 
opportunity to make the case and for support on key 
contentious issues.  The Minister spoke proudly of this 
accomplishment, stating that it was "a great achievement for 
Shaykh Sabah to remove this obstacle" to enhance freedom of 
the press in Kuwait.  He stated that there will always be 
fear and distrust regarding newspapers among those in power, 
but the new law will send a message that the Government will 
stay out of the way.  He said the law simply reflects modern 
realities, noting for example the futility of trying to 
control newspapers when at a time when it is relatively cheap 
to start a satellite channel. 
 
Power to the Courts 
------------------- 
 
3.  (C) Answering the Ambassador's query about the resolution 
of the key issues that had delayed the new law, the Minister 
focused on two.  The first issue was whether the Cabinet 
would give up to the judiciary the ability to close 
newspapers at any time for certain reasons.  Under the new 
law, only a court injunction will shut down a newspaper, 
therefore, even the Government will have to work through the 
courts.  The second issue that he mentioned was access to 
licenses to open newspapers.  In the past, he said that if an 
individual wanted a license and was refused by the Ministry 
of Information, he would plead his case before the Cabinet. 
However, now the person would have to petition the court. 
 
A Bold Step in the Right Direction 
---------------------------------- 
 
4. (C) The Minister expressed his strong belief that the new 
law was a step in the right direction and would open 
opportunities for greater press freedom within Kuwaiti 
society.  He noted that media licensing would still be 
required, but that it would no longer be a significant 
obstacle to new entrants into the market, (many of which are 
already preparing to open publications).  The Minister also 
projected that traditionalists in Kuwait would probably think 
this is an extremely bold step by Kuwait,s government and 
neighboring countries may even cause some troubles, but he 
concluded "this is a big move and the government should be 
praised for it."  The Minister continued, adding that 
approval of the final version of the new press law would be a 
great step toward freedom and democracy in Kuwait.  He 
envisioned the change as having broad socio-political impact 
that would alter the entire nation; although he acknowledged 
that during the initial years there would likely be some 
difficulties and concerns. He expressed pride in the manner 
 
KUWAIT 00005083  002 OF 003 
 
 
in which the government has pursued this goal, as well as in 
the final outcome, stating that "no one has ever tried this 
before."  He maintained that he had sought Cabinet approval 
for the law without resorting to outside influences, despite 
having powerful opponents in that arena, and that the 
government has displayed the vision necessary to implement 
this law in the current time frame. 
 
Prospects for Electoral District Reform 
--------------------------------------- 
 
5.  (C)  The Minister was more cautious in discussing the 
prospects for reduction in the number of electoral districts 
for parliamentary elections, (another key "Freedom Agenda" 
item).  He noted that there had recently been some articles 
in the press questioning his competency to deal with this 
topic (he is a member of Cabinet committee looking at the 
issue) and therefore he is reducing his public statements 
about the issue to avoid needless diversions from the genuine 
issue.  The Minister said he saw no reason for delaying the 
changes until after women had registered to vote in February. 
 He noted that two proposals have been circulated by the 
Government and the time has come for the Government to exert 
its leadership and propose a clear vision for the future. 
 
 
The Battle for the Next Generation 
---------------------------------- 
 
6. (SBU)  The Minister said he had just returned from a trip 
to the U.S. where he addressed the National Union of Kuwaiti 
Students, annual conference in Miami.  The Minister was 
ebullient about the success of the conference, noting that of 
the 600 Kuwaiti students who enrolled in U.S. universities 
this year, 37 per cent were females.  He commented that the 
Saudis were increasing their overall numbers of student 
scholarships to the U.S. to which the Ambassador replied that 
it would be in Kuwait,s best interest to follow suit.  The 
Ambassador stressed that, working with all relevant agencies, 
the U.S. had solved the visa problem that so many Kuwaitis 
had seen as a barrier and now we must overcome the perception 
problems that continue to deter Kuwaiti parents from sending 
their children to study in the U.S. 
 
7. (U) The Minister pointed proudly to a one-hour program on 
Kuwait TV the previous week that highlighted Kuwaiti students 
sharing their positive experiences studying in the U.S.  The 
Ambassador lauded this effort, stating that increasing the 
number of students not only was good for education, but also 
represented a strategic asset critical for the U.S.-Kuwaiti 
long term bilateral relationship.  Countering the popular 
argument that more students are now getting a U.S.-style 
education at Gulf-based universities following an American 
curriculum, the Ambassador argued that was this experience 
was nothing like the experience of studying in the U.S., 
where students learn how Americans think and the way in which 
American society works, in addition to obtaining a quality 
education. 
 
Problem with Al-Watan 
--------------------- 
 
8.  (SBU)  On the subject of the possible closure of Al-Watan 
Arabic daily due to a court order Sunday resulting from a 
libel suit against the paper, the Minister responded that "we 
have to trust the judicial system" to resolve this matter. 
(Note: The case evolved from mudslinging by a Muslim 
fundamentalist columnist against a liberal university 
professor and writer.  The columnist and editor-in-chief were 
sentenced to suspended two-month jail terms in absentia.) 
The Minister referred to the new law once again, arguing that 
once it is in place, journalists will not go to jail in cases 
like this.  The court would have to prove that there was an 
intent to libel on the part of the journalist, in the case of 
public figures. 
 
Al-Manar Has to Go 
------------------ 
 
9.  (C) The Ambassador forcefully delivered the demarche 
regarding the U.S. position against Al-Manar television 
station that operates under ARABSAT and has been designated a 
terrorist organization (ref D ).  The Minister appeared 
uninformed about the government of Kuwait,s involvement in 
ARABSAT and asked for points on the topic (which we passed), 
promising to investigate the matter further. 
 
Getting at the Roots of Terror 
 
KUWAIT 00005083  003 OF 003 
 
 
------------------------------ 
 
10.  (SBU) The Minister informed the Ambassador that Al-Sharq 
Al-Awsat newspaper will soon be carrying features based on a 
conference partially sponsored by the Kuwait Information 
Office in London.  He said the conference had been very 
well-received by UK authorities.   Al-Rasheed said more work 
needs to be done on "the culture of suicide," focusing on how 
to stop it, involving the religious elements of society to 
fight against it, and investigating the forces behind it.  He 
asserted that one of the behavioral aspects involved was that 
young people who were normally found hanging out in bars were 
suddenly making a radical shift to try to atone for what they 
perceive as bad behavior, hoping that Allah would forgive 
them for all of their sins through conducting these 
operations. 
 
Bio Note 
-------- 
 
11.  (C) The Minister concluded the meeting by offering a 
wistful comment that although he was experiencing his "glory 
days" with the Cabinet on the verge of approving the press 
and publications law, he sometimes wished that he could 
return to his simple life as a professor at Kuwait 
University.  He lamented the absence of time to spend with 
his young children.  The Ambassador suggested that Shaykh 
Sabah would likely find other political tasks for him, based 
on his success so far. 
 
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LEBARON