MP SAYS GOK ALLOWED HEALTH MINISTER'S RESIGNATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 001462

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2015
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PREL KU
SUBJECT: MP SAYS GOK ALLOWED HEALTH MINISTER'S RESIGNATION
TO MAKE ROOM FOR SHI'A MINISTER

REF: A. KUWAIT 1449


B. KUWAIT 1406

C. KUWAIT 1349

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


1. (C) During an April 9 meeting with the Ambassador and
visiting Senior Advisor and Coordinator for Iraq Policy,
Ambassador Richard Jones, Liberal MP Mohammed Jassem Al-Sager
told the Ambassador the Prime Minister had committed a "big
mistake" in not replacing former Information Minister
Mohammed Abulhassan, who stepped down in January, or former
Finance Minister Mahmoud Al-Nouri, whose resignation was
accepted on April 3, with a Shi'a. Indicating that the GOK
had allowed the Assembly's call for the resignation of Health
Minister Mohammed Al-Jarallah to go unchallenged, the MP said
the GOK "needed a spot for a Shi'a."


2. (C) Comment: The call for a vote of no confidence against
Health Minister Mohammed Al-Jarallah, which precipitated the
April 4 submission of his resignation and its April 9
acceptance by the GOK, was signed by all five of Kuwait's
Shiite MPs, some of whom are government-leaning. As reported
previously, Kuwait's Shi'a have traditionally had
representation in Kuwait's government, and have now gone
without since January of this year. Should the Prime
Minister choose not to replace the Health Minister with a
Shi'a (the rumored candidate is MP Dr. Yousef Al-Zalzalah),
the GOK may face additional grillings.

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