US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT1040

UNCLAS KUWAIT 001040 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ARP, INR/NESA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINR, KU 
SUBJECT: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WRAP-UP: MARCH 12-18, 2003 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 00896 
 
     B. KUWAIT 00986 
 
1.  The long-running Kheiran Pearls scandal was finally 
resolved this week (reftel B) when a vote of no-confidence 
against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for 
Cabinet Affairs Mohammed Sharar failed to pass the National 
Assembly.  Motions to cancel the Kheiran Pearls contract and 
to refer former Minister of Finance Yousef Al-Ibrahim to the 
Minister's Court were also defeated.  These developments 
represent a much-needed victory for the goverment in the 
run-up to the July 2003 parliamentary elections. 
 
2.  The government sought National Assembly approval to 
reallocate KD 500 million (approximately $1.6 billion) from 
the state's general reserve to meet unexpected expenses 
related to the current Iraq crisis (reftel A).  The National 
Assembly Budget Committee expressed reservations about the 
motion, calling the government's request too vague.  Deputy 
Prime Minister Sharar agreed to present more details of the 
proposed expenditures to the Committee and asked the National 
Assembly to be prepared to discuss the motion at the next 
session in two weeks.  After a special closed-door session on 
March 18, First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister 
Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah reportedly asked the National 
Assembly to approve the supplementary budget and expressed 
his hope the measure might be ratified by the end of the 
week, but press reports indicate easy passage of the measure 
is unlikely. 
 
3.  In the special closed-door session, the government 
reportedly outlined measures taken to protect Kuwait in the 
event of a U.S. led war in Iraq.  Shaykh Sabah announced to 
the National Assembly the increase of security at vital 
installations, the intensification of security patrols 
thoughout the city, the monitoring of air to allow for early 
detection of WMD pollutants, and the constant examination of 
purification centers to prevent contaminaton of the water 
supply.  Shaykh Sabah thanked the international community and 
the GCC for sending troops to protect Kuwait, and condemned 
Saddam Hussein's refusal to take steps to prevent another war 
in the region. 
 
4.  Quotes of the week: Scientific Salafi MP Walid 
Al-Tabtabaei called a GOK decision to bar Israeli journalists 
from Kuwait "wise, brave, and patriotic".  Minister of State 
for Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabah declared the UAE 
initiative calling for Saddam to step down "the last chance 
for a peaceful solution and the last glimpse of hope." 
Speaker of the National Assembly Jassem Al-Kharafi 
underscored Kuwait's gratitude for America's role in the 
liberation, but added "this does not prohibit us from saying 
to America our point of view in the event of starting to 
believe that it will be the world policeman." 
JONES