SHUNNED KUWAITI EDITOR FEARS FOR SAFETY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 005210

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE, SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL PINR SOCI KU
SUBJECT: SHUNNED KUWAITI EDITOR FEARS FOR SAFETY
AFTER BLASTING THE PM IN A RECENT WEB ARTICLE



1. (SBU) Summary: Mohammed Abdul Qader Al-Jassem,
Al Hurra talk show host and the liberal former
editor-in-chief of the Arabic daily Al-Watan,
complained to Emboffs of receiving threats after
posting a scathing article on his website on
December 10 criticizing Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah
Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Al-Jassem told Emboffs
that for the first time he genuinely feared for his
safety. In a more conciliatory article posted on
December 17, Al-Jassem defended his previous article
and declared his determination to keep writing,
though he was far less critical of PM Shaykh Sabah.
This kind of open criticism of the Government,
particularly Shaykh Sabah, is unprecedented and
crosses many unwritten red lines in Kuwait's
conservative society. End summary.

PM Has Nothing New to Offer Kuwait
--------------


2. (U) In a December 10 article entitled "Deal and
Honoring" posted on his website, liberal political
activist and former editor-in-chief of Al-Watan
newspaper Mohammed Al-Jassem claimed that Prime
Minister Shaykh Sabah "will not rest until he
becomes the `official' ruler of Kuwait." Al-Jassem
argued, however, that "Kuwait would gain nothing" if
Shaykh Sabah was appointed as Amir since the Prime
Minister has "consumed and exhausted all the ideas
and energy he has" over the past three years. He
continued: "If Shaykh Sabah becomes Amir it should
be viewed as merely an honorific gesture, because
his appointment will not lead the country to an era
of renaissance. Shaykh Sabah has no new ideas and
is too old to introduce serious changes in the
management of the country."


3. (U) Al-Jassem insisted that Shaykh Sabah's
appointment as Amir should be part of a "package
deal" in which a Crown Prince and Prime Minister,
who would assume the responsibility for governing
the country, would also be named. He stressed that,
as Amir, Shaykh Sabah should stay away from the day-
to-day management of the country's affairs. Al-
Jassem claimed that such a deal would be supported
by National Guard Chief Shaykh Salem Al-Ali Al-
Sabah, the controversial elder of the Salem branch
of the Al-Sabah family, and would unify the ruling
family behind its senior Shaykhs and close "the door
of succession" for the longest period possible.

Three Possible Up and Comers
--------------


4. (U) Al-Jassem suggested Foreign Minister Shaykh
Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, Amiri Diwan
Advisor Shaykh Mohammed Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, and
former Minister of Finance and Minister of
Communications Shaykh Dr. Ali Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah
as the most qualified candidates for the positions
of Crown Prince and Prime Minister. The three
Shaykhs, he wrote, are distinguished for their
political and financial ethics and "their political
records indicate that they are in favor of freedoms
and democracy." Al-Jassem argued that Minister of
Energy Shaykh Ahmad Al-Fahd Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-
Sabah should be completely ruled out as a potential
candidate because of his alleged involvement in
numerous scandals.

Scathing Article Provokes Threats
--------------


5. (SBU) This article was the apex in a series of
articles Al-Jassem has written recently criticizing
the Prime Minister, whom he blames for rampant
government corruption. After posting this article,
Al-Jassem and his close contacts told Emboffs that
he received serious threats for "crossing the red
line in his criticism." While he has complained
about receiving threats before, this time Al-Jassem
seemed genuinely concerned for his safety.

Next Article Still Defiant, But More Conciliatory
-------------- --------------


6. (U) In an article posted on December 17, Al-
Jassem adopted a more conciliatory tone, admitting
that he was harsh in his criticism of PM Shaykh
Sabah. He defended his comments, however, saying

KUWAIT 00005210 002 OF 002


that the way Shaykh Sabah runs the country, "with
all the power in his hands," is wrong. He also
stated his determination to continue writing
regardless of the consequences.

Bio Note
--------------


7. (U) Al-Jassem currently hosts a weekly program,
Al Majles, on Al Hurra. Previously, he was Deputy
Editor-in-Chief of the Arabic -daily Al-Watan from
1994 to 1996 and Editor-in-Chief from 1997 to 2005.
He claims he was forced to resign under pressure
from Shaykh Sabah who disliked his political views.
During the 2003 parliamentary elections, Al-Jassem
provoked several ruling family members by accusing
them of direct interference in the elections. Some
observers have accused Al-Jassem of being a
mouthpiece for the Salem branch of the ruling family
in its disputes with the Jaber branch, a charge he
flatly denied in his December 17 article. Al-Jassem
publishes weekly articles on his Arabic language
website which averages
more than 1,000 hits a day. He is also a lawyer and
owns his own firm.

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