(U) SHAYKH NAWAF UPGRADED TO "FIRST DEPUTY PRIME

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 005045

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP, INR/B, INR/NESA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/29/2013
TAGS: PGOV PINR KU
SUBJECT: (U) SHAYKH NAWAF UPGRADED TO "FIRST DEPUTY PRIME
MINISTER"

Classified By: AMB. RICHARD H. JONES; REASON 1.5 (B,D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister
Shaykh Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, half-brother to both
the Amir and the Prime Minister, has just been officially
elevated to First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior
Minister. This changes nothing in practice, but cements the
authority of Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah al-Ahmed. As Nawaf
is not a strong figure, he poses no threat to Sabah. His
elevation helps keep at bay the elder shaykhs of the rival
Salem line, without unduly threatening the younger
generation. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) On October 26, an Amiri Decree elevated Deputy Prime
Minister and Interior Minister Shaykh Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Jaber
al-Sabah to First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior
Minister. Shaykh Nawaf is a half-brother of both the Amir
and the Prime Minister, though all three had different
mothers. (Note: there are two other DPMs: the Defense
Minister, who is also a member of the ruling family, and the
Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of State
for National Assembly Affairs, who is not. End Note.) In
practice, Shaykh Nawaf was already functioning as de facto
First DPM. It was he, for instance, who attended our
national day reception on October 13. In the official
protocol order of state, he outranked the other DPMs.


3. (C) This move cements the authority of Prime Minister
Shaykh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah. For one thing, it
underscores the separation of the position of Prime Minister
from that of Crown Prince. (Note: from independence until
this past July, the Crown Prince was always Prime Minister.
Until being named Prime Minister in July, Shaykh Sabah was
First DPM and Foreign Minister. End Note.) It also
strengthens the hold of the Jaber branch of the ruling
family.


4. (NF) Shaykh Nawaf, born in 1937, has a long history of
government service (he was Defense Minister at the time of
the Iraqi invasion; until his appointment in July, he was
Deputy Commander of the National Guard) but is neither highly
educated nor particularly sophisticated, and is not seen as a
strong figure. Loyalty and bloodline appear to be his
selling points: he presents no threat to Shaykh Sabah, and
is not generally seen as a prospective Amir. Elevating him
helps to keep at bay the elder shaykhs of the Salem line,
without unduly threatening the younger generation.
(Background Note: the Amir must be a direct descendant of
Mubarak the Great, but in practice all rulers since Mubarak
have come from the lineage of only two of his sons, Jaber and
Salem, and almost always alternately. The aged and ailing
Crown Prince is a Salem, as are National Guard Commander
Shaykh Salem al-Ali al-Salem al-Sabah -- who actually
outranks the Prime Minister in the protocol of state -- and
Chairman of the National Committee for Missing and POW
Affairs Shaykh Salem Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, who outranks
Nawaf. Foreign Minister Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Sabah al-Salem
al-Sabah, Shaykh Salem's younger half-brother, is widely seen
as a leading candidate for the top spot. Still in his
forties, he currently ranks 14th out of 16 in the Cabinet.
End Note.)
JONES