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