MEPI KUWAIT: QUARTERLY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND FUTURE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 KUWAIT 002732

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/PI, NEA/ARPI; ABU DHABI, TUNIS FOR MEPI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV KMPI ECON KDEM KWMN KU
SUBJECT: MEPI KUWAIT: QUARTERLY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND FUTURE
OBJECTIVES

REF: A. KUWAIT 2093


B. STATE 80607

C. KUWAIT 1830

D. KUWAIT 1594

E. KUWAIT 1295

F. KUWAIT 790

G. 04 STATE 238564

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


1. (C) Summary: Post's MEPI committee -- comprising
representatives from the Front Office and Commercial,
Economic, Political and Public Diplomacy sections -- convened
June 12 to review the current quarter's accomplishments and discuss
potential projects for the upcoming period. During the
April-June time-frame, Embassy Kuwait submitted five small
grants proposals (two of which have been signed),welcomed
several regional program visitors, hosted MEPI/Abu Dhabi
Deputy Director and invited Kuwait is to BMENA and MEPI
regional conferences. The committee also brainstormed
potential program work for each pillar for the remainder of
the year with the objective of making progress on Post's
Freedom Agenda priorities, which include full political
participation for women, establishment of political parties
and promotion of more responsible journalism. Post welcomes
PDAS Elizabeth Cheney and will review MEPI highlights and
goals during her upcoming visit. End summary.

Quarterly Recap: Five Small Grants Submitted, Two Signed
-------------- --------------


2. (C) Post submitted five FY05 small grants proposals. Thus
far, two projects have been approved, both of which support
our Freedom Agenda: one from Dr. Alanoud Al-Sharekh for the
production of a brochure outlining legal biases against
Kuwaiti women with the goal of spurring their political
participation and one from the Center for Women's Issues to
conduct a survey measuring the level of support for women's
political participation among Kuwaitis and defining the
underlying reasons for support or lack thereof. Post is still
awaiting approval on the remaining proposals, which include a
summer internship program for youth to work in the government
and media, film training class to produce civic-minded short
movies for mass distribution, and summer civic program to
increase political awareness among the largely apathetic
Kuwaiti youth. Post reiterates support for the remaining
grant proposals and looks forward to receiving feedback.


3. (C) Post is concerned about the length of time required
for small grants approval. The committee understood that Post
would have greater control over the allocation of small
grants and that Post recommendation for funding would lead to
grant approval (ref G). Unlike organizations in less
developed countries, Kuwaiti groups are not in dire need of
external funding. Post exerted significant efforts to promote
MEPI, including recruiting proposals from new and diverse
organizations and issuing a press release announcing the
small grants program, which was picked up by Arabic- and
English-language dailies. The GOK responded by informing Post
that Kuwaiti law bans NGOs from receiving foreign funding
without prior governmental approval(ref D). We are sensitive
to their concerns and will find a way to work around the
issue.

Quarterly Recap: Democracy, Economics Pillar Visitors
-------------- --------------


4. (C) During the quarter, Kelley Jones from the National
Democratic Institute (NDI) concluded her assessment of
women's involvement in the suffrage movement. Jones worked
with leading women activists to hone their organization and
public relations skills during a period that fortuitously
coincided with the ultimately successful February-May
parliamentary fight to grant women political rights (ref A).
Post understands that funds remain from this project and
recommends that NDI launch a second phase focusing on
campaign training for women, which would accomplish the
Freedom Agenda goal of fully integrating women into the
political process. (See paragraph 11.)


5. (U) On April 28, Post welcomed Soraya Salti of INJAZ, the
Amman-based Junior Achievement (JA) affiliate for the Middle
East, who visited to introduce JA in Kuwait. There is good
potential for JA programs in Kuwait as the private sector is
enthusiastic and, in fact, asked for a JA chapter. The GOK is
actively encouraging Kuwaitis -- more than 90% of whom work
for the state -- to transition to the private sector, and JA
would help to prepare a new generation to branch out from
traditional career paths. Salti, working with the
American/Kuwaiti Alliance, identified approximately ten
prominent business leaders to serve on a JA Kuwait board.
Through one of these contacts, they submitted a request to
the Ministry of Education to permit after-school JA
instruction at the middle and high school levels. Salti is
scheduled to return to Kuwait for meetings on June 30.


6. (U) A second economic pillar implementor, the Beyster
Institute at UC-San Diego, arrived April 30 to gauge
potential Kuwaiti participation in the soon-to-be established
regional BMENA Entrepreneurship Center in Bahrain. The
group's meetings included government agencies, private
companies and professional associations. A Kuwaiti MEET U.S.
alumnus escorted the Beyster delegation. Post is working with
MEPI/Abu Dhabi and NEA/PI to obtain a trip report from
Beyster, promised during a meeting between the group and the
Ambassador. MEPI/Abu Dhabi Deputy Director accompanied the
Beyster group to Kuwait, participated in some of their
meetings and joined Post's MEPI committee May 1 for a
discussion chaired by the Ambassador.


7. (U) Post requests an update on the Center for
International Development (SUNY-Albany) proposed Legislative
Resource Center. The program representative visited Kuwait in
January, and Kuwaitis, including MP Mohammed AL-SAGR,
expressed interest in the project. To date, however, there
have been no updates on the status of the Center. Post
welcomes reassessing the potential locations of the Center to
include Kuwait, if appropriate.

Quarterly Recap: Kuwaitis Attend IPR, Business Conferences
-------------- --------------


8. (U) Post invited Kuwaitis to two BMENA conferences during
the quarter. The first was the April Literacy Workshop in
Algiers to which Post extended an invitation to the GOK but
never received a response. Post was unable to confirm the
participation of any Kuwaitis. Unlike other countries in the
region, Kuwait has a low illiteracy rate (only 6%),which may
have contributed to the lack of GOK action. The second event,
the Trade and Investment Finance Conference, took place in
Amman in May. Post invited 32 Kuwaitis, none of whom
accepted. However, Ibrahim Daboub, Chairman of the National
Bank of Kuwait, served as a conference speaker replacing a
last-minute cancellation by one of the initial invitees. The
difficulty in recruiting can be partially attributed to the
Amman conference coinciding with the World Economic Forum,
which would have required a lengthy absence for attendees.


9. (U) Two Kuwaiti judges participated in a May 9-26
intellectual property rights (IPR) training sponsored by MEPI
and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The
participants were positive about the program and its
relevance. We will likely be seeking additional MEPI support
to facilitate movement to free trade negotiations. (See
paragraph 14.)


10. (U) The five Kuwaiti participants in the Tunis
Businesswomen's Summit May 24-26 all found the event useful
for networking and meeting other Arab businesswomen and
entrepreneurs. They relished the opportunity to hear from
their counterparts in diverse parts of the Arab world and
have established what they term "enduring relationships"
forged during the Summit. The Kuwaitis were split on the
usefulness of the professional training seminars. Most of the
more experienced entrepreneurs found that the workshop topics
were beneath their level of expertise. All participants
agreed, however, that the organization of the Summit was
first-rate and that they are interested in maintainingcontacts with Post and
program alumni regarding future
activities or training.

Democracy: Supporting the Freedom Agenda
--------------


11. (C) In support of our Freedom Agenda priority of full
political participation for Kuwaiti women, Post recommends
implementing a second part of the NDI program focusing on
campaign training for women, which could be funded from
resources remaining from the initial phase. NDI, for example,
could partner with a local academic institution like the Arab
Open University to establish a training program designed by
and tailored for Kuwaiti women. NDI and other organizations
could provide speakers and experts on political participation
in preparation for the 2007 legislative elections.


12. (C) A second Freedom Agenda objective is to aid the
development of political parties. The U.S. should be
promoting political discussion in a country where informal
legislative blocs exist, but parties are not welcome. One
tool could be broad distribution of the "Journal of
Democracy." This publication, translated into Arabic, would
afford Kuwaitis the opportunity to compare their potential
parties to those in other countries. NEA/PI was exploring
this with the National Endowment for Democracy. Post would
like to be in a position to distribute widely an Arabic
version of the Journal, including to legislators, academics
and activists. Another resource that we are using is the
"Arab Reform Bulletin," a Carnegie publication translated
into Arabic by a local Kuwaiti publisher. We believe this
publication receives some MEPI support.

13. (C) In an attempt to foster effective, functioning
political parties, Post solicits advice from MEPI and partner
NGOs such as NDI to determine which projects or approaches
have worked in the past in other countries for possible
application in Kuwait. A final program area could be an
anti-corruption campaign, a topic of interest to the Prime
Minister. Post welcomes any available information on
MEPI-related programs available to combat corruption.

Economics: Focus on IPR, Free Trade
--------------


14. (U) MEPI funds would be extremely useful in supporting
the U.S.-Kuwait TIFA process, which has been underway for
approximately 18 months (ref E). Post would like to pursue
three projects in particular: 1) IPR training for
prosecutors and judges; 2) provision of technical assistance
to replace Kuwait's International Conformity and
Certification Program (ICCP); and 3) consultations from U.S.
experts to help Kuwait develop environmental laws and
regulations that would conform with free trade agreement
(FTA) requirements.


15. (U) IPR: Post has identified Kuwait's judiciary as in
particular need of sensitization on intellectual property
rights issues. Stronger enforcement of IPR laws is a key
measure of Kuwait's suitability for FTA negotiations (ref F)
so strengthening the judiciary's capacity is essential.
Better IPR enforcement is also critical for economic
diversification in Kuwait since increased IP protections
would attract more investors and create more high-tech jobs.
Post had arranged for USPTO to send an expert to Kuwait in
April to conduct an IPR seminar for prosecutors and judges,
but the program was postponed due to FTA negotiations in the
UAE and Oman. Post would like to reschedule the training
session for early fall, ideally in September before Ramadan
begins in October.


16. (U) Technical Assistance on ICCP: The U.S. would like
Kuwait to eliminate its International Conformity
Certification Program (ICCP),a major product testing regime
that is incompatible with Kuwait's WTO requirements and is a
technical barrier to trade. As with IPR, Kuwait's willingness
to dispense with the ICCP is seen as an indicator of its
seriousness to move from a TIFA to an FTA. Kuwait has
requested U.S. technical assistance in designing a
replacement for the ICCP, and Post would like to request help
using MEPI trade capacity-building funds.


17. (U) Strengthening Environmental Protections: During the
April visit of the regional Environment, Science, Technology
and Health (ESTH) officer, several GOK officials -- most
notably from the Environment Public Authority -- requested
assistance in strengthening Kuwait's environmental
regulations (ref C). Post would like to request an assessment
visit from U.S. environmental officials to help identify
legislative and regulatory weaknesses, particularly in light
of U.S. FTA requirements, and areas for further cooperation.

Education: ACCESS, University Linkages, Reading Campaign
-------------- --------------


18. (U) Post has several ideas for education programs for the
remainder of the year. First, Post has requested funding for
the ACCESS micro-scholarship program to increase the number
of enrollments of non-elite Kuwaiti youths in 2005-2006 from
105 to 180. Kuwait's education sector has welcomed the
program. Even people who hold anti-U.S. attitudes are
appreciative and changed by seeing their children benefit
greatly by learning English. We have anecdotal evidence that
ACCESS alumni have an increased interest in pursuing
additional educational opportunities in the U.S.


19. (U) Post is also exploring the possibility of
incorporating Kuwait's universities -- including Kuwait
University (KU),the American University of Kuwait (AUK) and
the Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) --
into the MEPI University Linkages program to strengthen their
capacity to train Kuwait's future leaders in the fields of:
political science, law, gender studies, business, teacher
education, communication and information technology. While
some institutions already have ties with American
universities (AUK with Dartmouth and GUST with the University
of Missouri-St. Louis),Post would focus on KU, where most
Kuwaitis attain their higher education, and on the Public
Authority for Applied Education and Training, similar to a
junior college attended by aspiring teachers.


20. (U) In addition, the "My Arabic Library" program could
become part of Post's concerted efforts to reach a younger,
non-elite audience. Additional educational and reading
programs linked with "Library," which focus on Arabic
translations of key publications on civic participation,
civil society, democracy, federalism, human rights and the
rule of law, would be a good tool for instilling civic values
and a global perspective, foundations upon which educational,
political and women's reforms can be built.


21. (C) MEPI support for establishing an American Studies
program at KU would be the natural progression after focusing
on initiatives such as ACCESS, university linkages and
"Library." Post's ultimate goal is to encourage reform in
each of MEPI's pillars through understanding, and eventual
emulation, of successful and culturally-acceptable aspects of
American society and values. To accomplish this goal, we need
Kuwaiti elites educated in-country to have insight into
American notions of civic participation and civil society.
Post's public diplomacy efforts in this regard have succeeded
but only incrementally. A strong push, with MEPI backing,
would have a quicker impact by building an institutionalized
American Studies program that, by its nature, would influence
today's students and tomorrow's leaders who are facing
increasing intellectual recruitment from Islamist-leaning
professors and administrators. Though current Islamist
tendencies at the University seem moderate, we see a
continued strong pressure of Salafist- and Islamic
Brotherhood-oriented thinking.

Women: Potential Proposal under Development
--------------


22. (C) Since program work in the other pillars already
incorporates women, specifically women's full political
participation, Post does not have any additional programs for
consideration. PolChief learned from Dr. Samar Al-Roomi that
she met with NEA/PI in January and discussed developing a
proposal focusing on a women's issue, which she reports to be
finalizing in cooperation with U.S. and Kuwaiti NGOs.
Al-Roomi also drafted a small grants proposal for a "Women's
Media and Leadership Center." The idea is of interest since
it also supports the Freedom Agenda goal of creating a more
responsible media allowing for the participation of all
Kuwaitis. Al-Roomi's project, however, does not qualify for
small grants money since it seeks funding for start-up and
overhead costs, both ineligible expenses under the small
grants program. Perhaps her idea could be considered for a
different source of funding.

Welcome PDAS
--------------


23. (SBU) Post also welcomes the upcoming visit of PDAS
Elizabeth Cheney to Kuwait. In addition to meetings requested
with senior Kuwaiti leaders, Post has scheduled events with
Kuwaits who have benefited from MEPI programming and funds aswell as with
activists advocating the type of reform MEPI
supports. The Post MEPI committee also welcomes the
opportunity to discuss with PDAS Cheney programs that have
been successful in other countries and how they might be
replicated in Kuwait.

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