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. ********************************************* 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