KUWAITI MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD MPS MAKE FINANCIAL

UNCLAS KUWAIT 004075 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM KISL KU ISLAMISTS SUBJECT: KUWAITI MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD MPS MAKE FINANCIAL RECORDS PUBLIC; HOST BROADLY-ATTENDED RAMADAN EVENT REF: A. KUWAIT 2568 ¶B. KUWAIT 1638 ¶1. (SBU) All six Kuwaiti MP's who are members of the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM),the political arm of the Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood, have voluntarily disclosed their personal financial records in letters to the Speaker of Parliament, local press reported October 11. The Speaker promised to "safeguard these documents," noting that there was no law regulating the handling of financial records. The parliamentarians (MPs) said they hoped the move would prompt other MPs to similarly disclose their personal finances, as many of them promised to do during their election campaigns in June (ref A). The only two ICM MPs in the previous Parliament, Dr. Nasser Al-Sane and Dr. Mohammed Al-Bousairi, now Deputy Speaker, were the first, and only, MPs to take the unprecedented step of voluntarily releasing their financial records in January (ref B). There is currently a bill in Parliament that would require all MPs and senior government officials to disclose their financial records. ¶2. (SBU) The ICM's political clout was highlighted in a Ramadan reception hosted by the organization on October 8. Many of Kuwait's most prominent political personalities attended the gathering, including liberals like MP Mishari Al-Anjari and former Information Minister Dr. Anas Al-Rashaid; Shi'a leaders, like Dr. Nizar Mullah Jomah, the former Secretary General of the Islamic National Consensus Movement (INCM),a moderate Shi'a political association; and ruling family members, such as the Prime Minister, Shaykh Nasser Mohammed Al-Sabah. ICM Secretary General Dr. Bader Al-Nashi and other ICM members chatted affably with liberals, Shi'a, and ruling family members alike. The reception received considerable press coverage and demonstrated the organization's success at reaching out to groups across the political spectrum. ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * Tueller