SHAYKH SABAH SWORN IN AS AMIR AFTER UNANIMOUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000303 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NSC FOR RAMCHAND, PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/28/2016 TAGS: PGOV KU SUBJECT: SHAYKH SABAH SWORN IN AS AMIR AFTER UNANIMOUS PARLIAMENT APPROVAL REF: A. KUWAIT 285 AND PREVIOUS ¶B. KUWAIT 259 Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reason 1.4 (d) ¶1. (C) On January 29, Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah became the 15th Amir of Kuwait after taking the constitutionally-mandated Amiri oath in front of Parliament and approximately 1,000 invited guests. Shaykh Sabah was nominated by the Council of Ministers on January 24 after Parliament unanimously voted the ailing Amir-designate, Shaykh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, medically unfit for the position (ref B). Shaykh Sabah's nomination was unanimously approved by Parliament in a session preceding the Amiri oath-taking session. Shaykh Sabah is expected to name a new Prime Minister in the next few days after the current Government submits its resignation. The Prime Minister will have two weeks to form a new Government, which must be approved by Amiri decree. Speculation about the new Prime Minister centers on Shaykh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, currently Interior Minister, and Shaykh Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, currently Foreign Minister. Most observers believe the new Amir will take a few months to name a new Crown Prince. ¶2. (C) The mood at the National Assembly Sunday was very positive. Shaykh Sabah has extremely broad support and hopes are high that he will usher in a period of accelerated reform. His nominee for Prime Minister, and the composition of the new Cabinet will be early indicators of just how reform-minded he will be. ¶3. (U) Request White House and State release dispatch public and private congratulations as soon as possible, preferably to make Sunday evening news in Kuwait and the Gulf, and to appear in Monday papers. ********************************************* 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