FREEDOM AGENDA: UNPRECEDENTED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 004190

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR KDEM KISL SOCI KU FREEDOM AGENDA
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: UNPRECEDENTED
LIBERAL-ISLAMIST-SHI'A ALLIANCE AGREE ON POLITICAL REFORM
AGENDA

REF: KUWAIT 3775

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


1. (C) Summary and comment: Emboffs have confirmed that an
unprecedented alliance of liberal, Islamist, and Shi'a
political associations have been meeting since the end of May
to negotiate a political reform agenda. Former Minister of
Information Dr. Saad Bin Tefla Al-Ajmi said the associations
agreed on a "tripartite" agenda calling for three key
political reforms: (1) reforming the electoral system, (2)
permitting the formation of political parties, and (3)
allowing private citizens to challenge legislation before the
Constitutional Court. Mohammed Al-Dallal, Political
Relations Chief for the Islamic Constitutional Movement
(ICM),confirmed his organization's participation in the
meetings and said there was broad consensus on the reform
agenda. Abudul Hussein Al-Sultan, the Secretary General of
the Peace and Justice Gathering, a moderate Shi'a political
association, said the strategy for implementing the reform
agenda would focus on asserting pressure in four areas: the
National Assembly, local media, diwaniyas, and the political
associations' networks. Several contacts, however, doubted
whether the meetings would affect real political reform,
arguing that some associations were using the meetings to
promote their own agenda. In particular, controversial
issues like the implementation of Islamic Shari'a, which some
Islamist groups support, and the granting of greater social
freedoms, set aside in order to promote the more crucial
issue of political reform, could create dissension and
undermine agreement on the reform agenda. At the very least,
these unprecedented meetings indicate an emerging consensus
among Kuwait's political associations that political reform
is essential to the future development of the country. End
summary and comment.

Ideological Opposites Agree on One Thing: Need for Reform
-------------- --------------


2. (C) Former Minister of Information Dr. Saad Bin Tefla
Al-Ajmi told Emboffs that a wide variety of political
associations ranging from Liberal to Islamist to Shi'a have
been meeting together since the end of May to discuss
political reform. He said the meetings were directed by a
group of former ministers and parliamentarians called the
National Accord Movement (NAM); Al-Ajmi is a member of NAM,
which is led by Abdullah Al-Mfarrej, a former Minister of
Justice. Al-Ajmi claimed the political associations recently
agreed on a tripartite document calling for three essential
reforms: (1) reforming the electoral system, specifically
reducing the number of electoral districts from 25 to 10,
lowering the voting age from 21 to 18, and granting military
and police personnel the right to vote; (2) recognizing
political parties (Note: While Constitutionally legal, the
formation of political parties is in practice restricted by
the Government. Numerous political associations exist,
however, and are active in the National Assembly. End
note.); and (3) granting private citizens the right to
challenge legislation before the Constitutional Court.
Al-Ajmi asked Emboffs to strictly protect this information
since it could damage agreement between the associations if
publicized.


3. (C) Various embassy contacts confirmed that an
unprecedented range of political associations have been
meeting to discuss political reform. Islamist associations
included: the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM),the
political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait; the Ummah
Party, a Scientific Salafi splinter group that provoked legal
controversy by declaring itself a party; and the Traditional
Salafis, represented at the meetings by Secretary General
Khaled Al-Sultan, whom Dr. Al-Ajmi characterized as "the
godfather of the Salafis" in Kuwait. Among the Liberal
associations attending were the Kuwait Democratic Forum
(KDF),the National Democratic Alliance (NDA),and the
National Democratic Movement (NDM). The main Shi'a
associations represented were the Peace and Justice Gathering
and the Shi'a Clerics Gathering, led by outspoken Shi'a
cleric Sayed Mohammed Baqer Al-Mohri. Al-Ajmi claimed the
associations were considering calling for a boycott of the
2007 parliamentary elections if the Government did not
implement the agreed upon reforms.

Groups Unite in Symbolic Opposition to the GOK
-------------- -


4. (C) Mohammed Al-Dallal, Political Relations Chief for the
Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM),confirmed his
organization's participation in the meetings and said there
was broad consensus on the reform agenda. Political reforms
are essential to stopping widespread government corruption
and to spurring government action on important legislation,
Al-Dallal argued, adding that internal disputes within the
ruling family over succession have created political deadlock
in the country. Members of selected groups were assigned
the task of writing a report on one of the agreed upon
reforms and suggesting means of implementation. The reports
will be presented to the associations when the meetings,
suspended for the summer, resume at the end of September,
Al-Dallal said.


5. (C) Abdul Hussein Al-Sultan, Secretary General of the
Peace and Justice Gathering, a moderate Shi'a political
association, said "all the political associations in Kuwait
were represented," except the National Islamic Alliance
(NIA),reputed to have close ties to Iran and often referred
to as "Kuwaiti Hizbollah." (Comment: "Kuwaiti Hizbollah" is
a pejorative term applied by Kuwait State Security to Shi'a
it considers to be militant. There is no/no political or
religious group in Kuwait calling itself Kuwaiti Hizbollah.
End comment.) Al-Sultan confirmed that the associations
agreed on the three key reforms outlined above. He also
echoed Al-Dallal's view that consensus on reform emerged in
opposition to consolidation of political power in the hands
of Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Reform Agenda to be Released before Parliament Reconvenes
-------------- --------------


6. (C) Asked how the meetings could affect political reform
in Kuwait, Al-Sultan said the strategy for implementing the
reform agenda would focus on asserting pressure in four
areas: the National Assembly, local media, diwaniyas, and the
political associations' networks. The reforms would be
addressed in the upcoming National Assembly session, which
begins October 17, he said, noting that the associations
participating in the meetings were affiliated with 12 members
of the National Assembly (MPs). Another 20 MPs could be
lobbied to support the reform agenda, he added. Al-Sultan
also said Al-Mfarrej and Yousef Al-Nisif, a top NAM member,
would meet with the Prime Minister, who returns to Kuwait
from the UNGA September 26, to discuss the political
associations' meetings and to present the reform agenda.


7. (C) Al-Sultan asked for information on U.S. programs
offering training on political organization and party
politics. He also requested books, websites, and/or other
materials on the political organization. He claimed most
Kuwaiti political associations, except for Salafis, would
gladly participate in U.S.-funded training seminars in Kuwait
or elsewhere in the region. Post provided information on the
MEPI small grants program and also shared with him Public
Affairs materials.


8. (C) Liberal political activist Ahmed Deyyain said he
expected the associations to issue an official reform agenda
before the opening of the National Assembly on October 17.

Dissenting View: Only Political Jockeying
--------------


9. (C) Some argue that the meetings on political reform are
unlikely to yield tangible results. Nasser Al-Abdaly, head
of the liberal Kuwaiti Society for Developing Democracy
(KSDD),discounted the possibility of substantive political
reform resulting from the meetings. Al-Abdaly said he was
invited to participate in the meetings, but declined when NAM
head Al-Mfarrej told him that the Prime Minister was "an
obstinate personality who does not listen to others."
According to Al-Abdaly, Al-Mfarrej stressed that the meetings
would send a "message" to Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah.
Al-Abdaly cynically dismissed this view, arguing that the
Prime Minister would not/not be influenced to implement
reform by the political associations.


10. (C) Both Al-Ajmi and Al-Abdaly separately expressed the
opinion that the ICM was trying to take credit for the
meetings when Al-Dallal went public with the reform program
in an interview with Arabic-language daily Al-Watan,
indicating possible divisions between the associations.
Al-Sultan similarly questioned whether Islamic associations
might use political reforms to usher in their own
conservative political agendas. Some contacts also question
whether agreement on reform could be undermined by the
associations' radically different positions on social,
economic, and judicial issues.

Comment
--------------


11. (C) Usually vehemently antagonistic towards each other,
these meetings are the first time associations from opposite
sides of the political spectrum in Kuwait have united to
pursue common goals and indicate an emerging consensus among
Kuwait's political associations that political reform is
essential to the future development of the country. If the
associations manage to coordinate their political activities,
a formidable force for reform could emerge.

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