NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SPEAKER ON SUCCESSION, PROJECT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004406

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/11/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM IZ KU SUCCESSION NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FREEDOM AGENDA
SUBJECT: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SPEAKER ON SUCCESSION, PROJECT
KUWAIT, POLITICAL REFORM, KATRINA AID, AND U.S. POLICY

REF: KUWAIT 4372

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


1. (C) Summary/Comment: The Ambassador met October 12 with
National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi for a periodic
update on a range of issues. The speaker quickly turned to
recent dispute within the ruling family (reftel). Al-Khorafi
said the Amir's strong public support for the Prime Minister
in response to National Guard Chief Shaykh Salem Al-Ali
Al-Salem Al-Sabah's call for the formation of a three-member
consultative committee demonstrated "who's the boss." Asked
about rumors the Crown Prince would be removed, Al-Khorafi
said that while "everything is possible," the Amir is
unlikely to replace the Crown Prince, commenting that
"everyone will want to continue in the present situation."
On legislative priorities for the National Assembly session
starting next week, Al-Khorafi predicted the passage of the
controversial northern oil fields project legislation and the
approval of aid for hurricane Katrina victims. He was
optimistic the Press and Publications law would be approved,
though he expressed doubt a proposal to reduce the number of
electoral districts would be passed. Regarding Iraq,
Al-Khorafi stressed the importance of U.S. troops remaining
in the country and urged the USG to listen to the concerns of
neighboring countries, particularly Saudi Arabia. He also
expressed concerns about several U.S. visa and immigration
policies and encouraged more high-level USG visits to the
region. Comment: Khorafi was eager to reassure us, that
although serious, the recent spat in the Al-Sabah family is
not going to get out of hand. While many believe that the
next shoe to drop will be the "resignation" of the Crown
Prince, paving the way for Shaykh Sabah to take over this
spot while retaining his premiership, Khorafi professed no
inside knowledge on this possible option. (End
summary/comment)

Amir's Support for Shaykh Sabah Resolved Family Debate
-------------- --------------


2. (C) The Amir's public support for Prime Minister Shaykh
Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in response to National
Guard Chief Shaykh Salem Al-Ali Al-Salem Al-Sabah's call for
the formation of a three-member committee to run the country
clearly demonstrated to Shaykh Salem Al-Ali that "Shaykh
Sabah is in charge." "There is no possibility of going
around the Prime Minister," Al-Khorafi said. Although Shaykh
Salem Al-Ali has publicly criticized the Government before,
his recent comments, by "indirectly questioning the Amir's
authority," were "the straw that broke the camel's back,"
Al-Khorafi noted. He claimed Shaykh Salem's comments
reflected the views of a few "members of the (ruling) family
who are grumbling about positions" and were exaggerated by
Kuwait's rumor mill. The Amir's backing of the Prime
Minister "stopped all these activities. Everyone now knows
who's the boss," Al-Khorafi told the Ambassador.


3. (C) Asked about rumors the Crown Prince would be
replaced, Al-Khorafi responded, "Everything is possible, but
nothing specific has been decided." The Government wants to
avoid initiating a constitutional process to remove the Crown
Prince, who is scheduled to return to Kuwait October 18 from
London where he is receiving medical treatment, Al-Khorafi
said. He added, "I think everyone will want to continue in
the present situation." Al-Khorafi said National Assembly
members (MPs) were "100% behind the Amir's comments" and
expressed their "sincere" support for him in their October 11
meeting with Al-Khorafi.

Project Kuwait, Electoral Districts,
Press Law, and Katrina Aid
--------------


4. (C) Although he hoped for a smooth National Assembly
opening, Al-Khorafi warned "there may be some rough rides."
Noting that "some MPs will request some laws the Government
will not want passed," he suggested voting on this
legislation could be postponed until the next National
Assembly session, which will be closer to elections and
therefore less likely to be approved. He did not specify
which legislation fell into this category.


5. (C) Asked about the status of Project Kuwait, Al-Khorafi
predicted the controversial plan to develop Kuwait's northern
oil fields would be passed in the upcoming National Assembly
session. "A majority of the MPs support the plan" as
approved by the Ministry of Finance and the Government, he
said.


6. (C) Resolving the electoral districts issue "will take
time," Al-Khorafi told the Ambassador. He said there are two
problems with the proposed reduction in electoral
constituencies: geographic division of the larger districts,
and disagreement over the number of districts. The National
Assembly is divided between those that support the reduction
and those opposed to it, he noted; however, supporters of the
reform cannot agree on whether five or ten districts are
preferable. Asked why the Government introduced two
proposals to reduce the number of electoral districts in the
last National Assembly session, Al-Khorafi laughingly
admitted it was "to confuse the National Assembly; he added
that the proposals have been "sleeping in a committee until
now."


7. (C) Al-Khorafi told the Ambassador "we are getting
closer" to passage of the Press and Publications law, adding
"there is a great chance it will pass in this session of the
National Assembly." Al-Khorafi also predicted the additional
$400 million in aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina promised
by the GOK would be approved by the National Assembly in its
upcoming session "without any problems."

Stay the Course in Iraq
--------------


8. (C) The Ambassador told Al-Khorafi that there was
compromise on the Iraqi Constitution, which should alleviate
some of the Sunni concerns about the current draft
constitution. While the insurgents and Al-Qaeda elements in
Iraq do not care what kind of constitution is adopted, the
Ambassador argued that most Iraqis want to participate in the
political process. Al-Khorafi responded, saying while many
Sunni want to participate, "they are scared because they do
not have militias to back them." He stressed the importance
of "everyone knowing you are not going to leave the country"
and said the insurgents were trying to pressure the U.S. to
leave. Al-Khorafi also urged the U.S. to "take into account"
that other countries in the region, like Syria, were taking
actions to "irritate" the U.S., but this should not distract
us from the critical work in Iraq. Khorafi said that these
irritations would desist when and if the situation stabilizes
in Iraq.

9 (C) Al-Khorafi asked the Ambassador, "How are you getting
along with Saudi Arabia?" The Ambassador responded that on
core interests the U.S. and Saudi Arabia cooperation is very
good. Al-Khorafi responded, stressing the importance of
listening to the position of Saudi government on Iraq and of
issues of concern raised by the Saudis. "Don't let these
concerns drag. They are very important," he said.

Concerns About U.S. Policy
--------------


10. (C) The Speaker expressed concern about several U.S.
policies to the Ambassador during their meeting. Al-Khorafi
questioned the U.S. decision to deny visas to Cuban and
Iranian delegates to the recent International Parliamentary
Union (IPU) meeting in New York, which Al-Khorafi attended as
head of the Kuwaiti delegation. The IPU's decision to
unanimously condemn the U.S. for the action put Kuwait in the
position of having to criticize the U.S., he commented.
Al-Khorafi also urged the USG to improve its immigration
procedures, noting that Kuwaiti Airways' pilots have even
nicknamed the secondary inspection room at U.S. airports used
to question entrants to the U.S.


11. (C) Al-Khorafi emphasized the importance of high-level
USG visits to the country. "We know your country, the
problem is you do not know our country," Al-Khorafi said,
adding the visits should be for more than half a day.

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