SENIOR MP SAYS THE TIME IS NOT RIGHT FOR IRAQI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004199

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI, T, AND PM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/04/2014
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM EAID KU KLEG
SUBJECT: SENIOR MP SAYS THE TIME IS NOT RIGHT FOR IRAQI
ELECTIONS; QUESTIONS GOK POSITION ON WOMEN'S VOTING RIGHTS

REF: KUWAIT 3897

Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: During a December 1 courtesy call by
Ambassador LeBaron, Chairman of the National Assembly
Committee on Foreign Affairs, MP Mohammed Jassam Al-Sager
(also Al-Saqer),was not shy about his views on Iraq, U.S.
policy successes and failures, and the effectiveness of the
Government of Kuwait. He praised the U.S. for liberating
both Kuwait and Iraq and said coalition efforts in Iraq will
benefit the entire region. Nevertheless, he is not convinced
that elections in January 2005 will help Iraqis. He believes
religious extremists will rise to power and, backed by Iran,
pose a threat to all Gulf countries. He supports the U.S.
positions on Iran and Lebanon, but thought it would have been
better for the U.S. to have communicated its concerns
bilaterally and through allies. In contrast, he recommended
the U.S. speak up on the rise of Islamists in Kuwait and the
need for greater rights for women. He said if the government
was serious about forgiving Iraq's debt and obtaining voting
rights for women, it could easily pass legislation. He was
equally critical of the National Assembly, chastising MPs who
question the assignment of U.S. envoys to Kuwait who
previously served in Israel, but who do not oppose Arab
governments which have diplomatic representation in Israel.
The Ambassador raised the need for speedy ratification of the
Article 98 Agreement and Al-Sager said he would do his best
to expedite the process. End Summary.

Liberation Is Good for Iraq, Elections Aren't
--------------


2. (C) Opening the conversation with a discussion on Iraq,
Al-Sager said Kuwait is eternally grateful to the U.S. for
liberating it in 1991 and for ousting Saddam Hussein. He
noted there might be disagreements over policy, but the U.S.
could always consider Kuwait a good friend in the region. He
considered recent military action in Falluja necessary and
opined that the number of civilians killed in firefights
between coalition forces and insurgents is small when
compared to the innocent Iraqis killed by Hussein. Despite
his support for U.S. actions in Iraq, however, he questioned
the need for elections in January. He argued that Iraqis
don't need a constitution, rather they need to experience and
enjoy freedom. He feared that the victors of an election
would be groups that are already organized, specifically the
Shi'a whose clerics he believes receive instructions from
Iran, and who would be hostile to gulf countries. He
clarified he is not opposed to a Shi'a regime; he is opposed
to a religious, Shi'a regime.


Containment Best Solution to Iranian Problem
--------------


3. (C) Turning to Iran's role in the region, Al-Sager said
the U.S. erred by not fully consulting Iraq's neighbors --
Syria and Iran -- when it made the decision to liberate Iraq.
As a result, Iraq's borders were not adequately secured,
facilitating the entry of terrorist groups. He stated Iran
remains determined to build a nuclear device and said the use
of force was not a viable deterrent. He added that public
attacks against Iran would only encourage its nuclear
aspirations and cause Iranians to rally around the flag. He
called for containment of the GOI which, in his view, can
only be achieved with the full participation of European
allies.

GOK Committed to Women's Rights and Iraqi Debt relief?
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Al-Sager then addressed issues currently before the
National Assembly, describing debt relief for Iraq as the
most important. He said Kuwait should have forgiven the debt
long ago as there is no real expectation the GOK will ever
receive any money from Iraq. He called for the GOK to invest
in Iraq's infrastructure and people by building schools and
hospitals, creating an IT city, and improving the Iraqi
mentality. He argued that this type of focus would benefit
both Kuwait and Iraq. He denounced the USD 60M already
earmarked by Kuwait for Iraq (reftel) as "peanuts" and said
the GOK could afford a serious investment in its neighboring
country. Referring to both Iraqi debt and women's suffrage,
Al-Sager said if the GOK was truly committed, it could easily
pass the appropriate legislation. Notwithstanding the
growing presence of Islamists in the National Assembly, the
GOK maintains adequate influence to pass any legislation it
desires, providing it makes an effort. Further commenting on
voting rights for women, Al-Sager said he introduced the
legislation that previously failed, and took no action this
year because the GOK said it wanted to table the issue. He
agreed because he believes legislation introduced by the
Government carries more weight and the onus to defend the
legislation would then lie with the GOK. He considered
repeated failures to secure voting rights for women to be
indicative of severe internal problems within the GOK or a
serious lack of interest.

Ambassador Presses for Parliamentary Action on Article 98
-------------- --------------


5. (C) The Ambassador thanked Al-Sager for his candor and
said he looked forward to future exchanges on how the U.S.
and GOK can broaden and deepen relations, stressing the need
to think strategically and about the long-term. The
Ambassador also emphasized the need to conclude the Article
98 Agreement and offered to brief members of Al-Sager's
committee if he thought that would help in bringing the
Article to the floor for a vote. (Note: Ambassador followed
up with a phone call to As-Sager on December 5 to prompt
Article 98 Action. End Note)


6. (U) Baghdad: Minimize considered.

*********************************************
Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/

You can also access this site through the
State Department's Classified SIPRNET website
*********************************************
LEBARON