UPDATE ON ARTICLE 98 AND KATRINA AID

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 004109 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/15/2016 TAGS: PREL PARM EAID KLEG KU KATRINA AID SUBJECT: UPDATE ON ARTICLE 98 AND KATRINA AID REF: A. KUWAIT 2562 ¶B. 05 KUWAIT 5406 ¶C. 05 KUWAIT 4846 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Matt Tueller for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( d) (C/NF) During an October 15 meeting with PolChief, Mohammed Jassem Al-Sager, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Parliament, confirmed that his committee had approved the Article 98 agreement and referred it to the full Assembly for ratification (ref B). He said action now depended on the Government, which should ask the Speaker to expedite voting on the agreement. Al-Sager said the Katrina aid package had also been on the agenda since its approval by the Budget and Closing Accounts Committee in November 2005 (ref C). He seemed surprised that Parliament had not yet voted on the Katrina aid and promised to raise the issue with the Foreign Minister. ********************************************* * 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