Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05KUWAIT1493
2005-04-13 09:40:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:  

NEW MINISTER OF INFORMATION HOPES TO DISSOLVE

Tags:  KPAO ETRD PREL KIPR PINR KU IPR 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 001493 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2015
TAGS: KPAO ETRD PREL KIPR PINR KU IPR
SUBJECT: NEW MINISTER OF INFORMATION HOPES TO DISSOLVE
MINISTRY, PLEDGES AGGRESSIVE ACTION ON INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY RIGHTS

REF: KUWAIT 1349

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 001493

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2015
TAGS: KPAO ETRD PREL KIPR PINR KU IPR
SUBJECT: NEW MINISTER OF INFORMATION HOPES TO DISSOLVE
MINISTRY, PLEDGES AGGRESSIVE ACTION ON INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY RIGHTS

REF: KUWAIT 1349

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


1. (C) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: In an introductory meeting with
Ambassador, new Minister of Information Dr. Anas Al-Rasheed
said that he would consider himself a successful minister if
he were able to dissolve the ministry. He said that he is
committed to freedom of the press and would work with the
National Assembly to pass a liberal Press and Publications
Law. He pledged "aggressive" action on intellectual property
rights (IPR). Al-Rasheed said that he had already met with
Minister of Interior Shaykh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah and
Commerce Minister Abdullah Al-Taweel on this issue, and that
he would work to form a joint committee comprised of the
Ministries of Information, Interior, and Commerce to address
enforcement issues. In the past, the Ministry of Information
has lagged behind these other stakeholders in Kuwait's IPR
protection efforts, and post has encouraged the ministry to
cede its enforcement function to the Ministry of Interior.
Al-Rasheed's recognition of Interior's role, and his apparent
willingness to work with the other ministries sends a
positive signal regarding future Kuwaiti IPR action. END
SUMMARY AND COMMENT.

"I Will Be Successful In This Post
If I Am The Last Minister."
--------------


2. (C) Al-Rasheed wasted no time in sharing with the
Ambassador his primary goal: the dissolution of the ministry.
"I will be successful in this post if I am the last
minister," Al-Rasheed said. Al-Rasheed briefly admitted that
this was far easier said than done, but expressed his belief
that a Ministry of Information had little function in a free
society. "We will have to see how this will work," Al-Rasheed
said. "Ensha'allah (God willing) ..." The Ambassador agreed
that Ministries of Information in the Arab World no longer
served a useful purpose and congratulated Al-Rasheed on his
intention to put himself out of a job. Later in the
conversation, the minister said that he was still feeling his

way in the ministry and would try to earn some trust before
bringing in some associates from the outside.


3. (C) Widely hailed by members of the Kuwaiti media upon the
announcement of his selection (reftel),Al-Rasheed brings
significant journalistic credentials to his new post. He
earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from
Arkansas State University, and earned his doctorate from the
Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He publishes
regularly in academic journals, he said, frequently working
with his former Arkansas State professor, Dr. Gil Fowler. The
subject of his doctoral thesis was the professional and
ethical values of Kuwaiti journalists. Al-Rasheed, who said
that at 37-years-old he is likely the youngest minister by
far, expressed his reluctance to deal directly with Kuwaiti
journalists. He said he preferred to issue written statements
rather than give interviews that could be distorted. He cited
his experience teaching journalism at Kuwait University, and
mentioned his role as senior advisor to the editor-in-chief
of Arabic daily Al-Qabas.


"This Would Be A Great Achievement..."
--------------

4. (C) The minister nodded and appeared to listen intently as
the ambassador expressed his concerns about the fate of the
draft Press and Publications Law currently before the
National Assembly. (Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed
Al-Sabah has championed a strict draft that would increase
penalties for libel and defamation, more harshly regulate
newspaper ownership and operation, and ease rules preventing
authorities from shutting down newspapers. Members of the
media and parliamentarians have expressed strong reservations
about the draft.) Al-Rasheed said that he had the file on his
desk at that moment, and that he hoped to work with both the
Prime Minister and Parliament to resolve the issue
satisfactorily. "This would be a great achievement," he said.



5. (C) While Al-Rasheed said that he had elicited
"conditions" from Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah (Note: He did
not say what they were, but the conversation suggested they
were in the area of press freedom. End note.) before
accepting the post, he acknowledged that their views on a
free press differed. He said that Shaykh Sabah considered
Kuwait's newspapers "ambassadors," and was troubled when news
that could be perceived as negative appeared in the press.
"In a free society, this is how newspapers should look like
(sic)," Al-Rasheed said he told the Prime Minister. "If you
have everything fine (in the press),we are talking about
Saddam Hussein now."

IPR: "Our Country Is Looking Bad..."
--------------


6. (C) Responding to Ambassador LeBaron's assessment of the
ministry's performance on IPR issues ("we've had some good
and not-so-good experiences..."),Al-Rasheed said that he and
his ministry would work "a lot harder." He said that he had
already met with Commerce Minister Al-Taweel and Interior
Minister Shaykh Nawwaf. Told by the economic counselor that
post had suggested in the past transferring some aspects of
enforcement from Information to Interior, Al-Rasheed said
that he hoped to form a joint committee with Interior and
Commerce to work together on enforcement. Econ/C suggested
that Kuwaiti Customs be involved. "Our country is looking
bad," Al-Rasheed admitted. Al-Rasheed said that there were
problems with the laws, which prevented enforcement officers
from entering closed shops in hopes of seizing pirated goods,
and that the government often lacked follow up. But he
suggested a radio and television IPR awareness campaign, and
said, "With time you'll see, Mr. Ambassador, I'll be very
aggressive in this area."

Biographical Information
--------------


7. (C) Bio Data: As the meeting concluded, Al-Rasheed spoke
about his family. He said that he has 15 brothers, and that
his father, a former pearl diver with no formal education,
had three wives. Al-Rasheed is the son of his father's
youngest, and final, wife. (He wryly noted the complexities
of having a mother who is younger than some of his sisters.)
Al-Rasheed's was a long-time member of the National Assembly,
who, he said, is still very well-respected. He said that an
uncle, Abdul Aziz Al-Rasheed, is the "Father of Kuwaiti
Journalism" -- having established, in 1928, Kuwait's first
magazine, called, "Kuwait Magazine." He said that his sister
was "the first or second" female lawyer in Kuwait. Al-Rasheed
has more connections to the U.S. than just his education. He
said that while he was in school in the U.S. during the first
Gulf War, he volunteered to serve with the U.S. Army and
trained at Fort Dix, N.J. He said that he counseled family
members of American servicemen and women who died during the
war. and that as an active member of the Kuwait Foundation, a
Kuwaiti organization dedicated to improving U.S.- Kuwaiti
ties, he was involved in organizing receptions and exchanges
for Americans and Kuwaitis. He has also participated in
exchanges with journalism students from his alma mater,
Arkansas State. He said that one of his daughters was born in
the U.S. in 1995, while he was in school.
LEBARON