NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WRAP-UP: MARCH 12-18, 2003

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