KUWAIT LICENSES FIRST NEW NEWSPAPERS IN 30 YEARS

UNCLAS KUWAIT 004558 SIPDIS CORRECTED COPY - CAPTION AND MARKINGS SENSITIVE STATE FOR NEA/ARP (BJACKSON),NEA/PPD (DBENZE, DFOLEY),NEA/P, NEA/PA, MEPI, DRL SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KPAO KMDR PHUM KU SUBJECT: KUWAIT LICENSES FIRST NEW NEWSPAPERS IN 30 YEARS REF: KUWAIT 768 KUWAIT 804 ¶1. (SBU) Summary and comment: Fifteen Kuwaiti companies have received licenses to date to begin publishing daily newspapers, the first new such licenses granted in Kuwait in more than 30 years. They result from the coming into effect in October 2006 of a press and publications law that paved the way for the licensing of new print media in Kuwait. However, of the 15 approved newspapers, only three or four are likely to actually hit the streets. Sources speculate that the majority of the applicants are Kuwaiti businessmen who wish to hold the license as a hedge for a future operation, but with no immediate plans to launch a daily newspaper. Two of the licensees are Kuwaiti Shi'a Muslims. None of the newly authorized papers have backers known to be strict conservatives or Islamists. Thus, the overall tone of the Kuwait media landscape is for the near future expected to remain as it has been -- less critical of the U.S. than other Arab media, generally pro-government, though often willing to criticize within certain red lines, and less socially conservative than many Islamists would like. End summary and comment. Fifteen Newspapers Authorized to Publish -------------- 2.(U) Fifteen Kuwaiti companies to date have received approval from the Ministry of Information (MOI) to begin publication of new daily newspapers since the Ministry began accepting applications this summer. These are the first new daily news publications to be authorized in Kuwait since the mid-1970s. They are a result of the coming into effect in October of the country's new press and publication law, a portion of which establishes criteria for the establishment of new daily newspapers. 3.(U) Approximately 125 applications have been received at the MOI since it began accepting dossiers this summer. The requirements for new licenses are outlined clearly in the new press and publication law. The key criteria include Kuwaiti ownership, start-up capital of at least USD 100,000, and a viable editorial and managerial staff. The MOI's role in the authorization process is that of reviewer only, ensuring that the applicant has met all the requirements of the law. The head of the review committee at the MOI stressed to EmbOff the transparency of the review process and noted that no political considerations enter into the licensing decision and that the list of approved applications is released to the media. Wealthy Businessmen Seek Licenses -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Of the 15 applications approved, 13 are for new papers. The existing Arabic-language daily "Al-Rai Al-Aam" received a renewed license under the new name "Al-Rai" since it had been operating without a current permit. The current weekly newspaper "Al-Shahid" was licensed to begin daily publication. Nearly all of the applicants are Kuwaiti businessmen with interests in, among other things, the press, printing or advertising fields. Among them are several billionaires, members of established publishing families, members of parliament and two members of the ruling family. Notable among them are: Badr Nasser Al-Khorafi, a wealthy businessman and nephew of the Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly; Mohammed Jassem Al-Saqer, a wealthy, liberal member of parliament; Saleh Ahmed Hasan Ashour, a moderate, Shi'a MP; Imad Jawad Bukhamseen, a wealthy, Shi'a businessman; and Marwan Marzouq Boodai, owner of Jazeera Airlines and brother of the editor-in-chief of "Al-Rai" newspaper Jassem Boodai. Few Licensees Expected to Actually Publish -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Media contacts and sources in the Ministry of Information forecast that at most only three or four of the 13 approved new papers will actually be published. Many of the approved applications come from businessmen who sought the license as a hedge for a possible future publication, but who have no plans to launch a daily paper in the near term. Once approved, licensees have one year to publish after which the license expires. One applicant, business executive Ahmed Jabr Al-Shimmery, is reportedly planning to establish a daily titled "Alam Al-Yom" ("Today's World") only to sell the newspaper for a profit at the first opportunity. Kuwaiti media mogul Jassem Boodai told EmbOff that the application of his brother Marwan Boodai was submitted as a "hedge" in the event Boodai's current newspaper "Al-Rai" were for some reason unable to publish. (Note: Boodai recently was acquitted on charges of defaming the ruling family. The charge stemmed from statements he made in a private interview that later turned up on the Internet). The sister of the editor-in-chief of the Arabic-language daily "Al-Anba'a" likely submitted her application for the same reasons, a license "insurance policy" for the family newspaper run by Bibi Marzouq. ¶6. (SBU) Kuwait will likely see the following four new daily newspapers in the coming three to six months. Ahmed Al-Shimmery's "Alam Al-Yom" ("Today's World") already has staff in place and a printing deal with an existing daily. "Al Dhow," (a traditional Kuwaiti sailing ship),is backed by wealthy liberal MP Mohammed Jassem Al-Saqer, who has the necessary funds to successfully launch a newspaper. "Al-Sahafa" ("Journalism") from businessman Salah Al-Wazan also is viewed as having enough financial backing to launch. And "Al-Shahid" ("The Witness"),from Sabah Mohammed Saoud Al-Sabah, a businessman and member of the ruling family, is already an established weekly publication that will go daily. ¶7. (SBU) Four other new papers have backers with adequate financial resources to possibly begin publishing in the coming year: "Al-Nahar" ("The Day") from wealthy businessman Imad Jawad Bukhamseen; "The Daily News," an English-language paper from Badr Nasser Al-Khorafi, another wealthy business executive; "Al-Mowatin" ("The Citizen") from Saleh Ashour, a pro-government Shi'a MP; and "Wetnec" from Sabah Mohammed Al-Sabah, an entrepreneurial ruling family member. Media commentators, however, question whether this group is motivated enough to actually begin operations. Insufficient Printing Machines to Meet Demand -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Media contacts and businessmen tell EmbOff that launching a newspaper costs millions of dollars and that daily expenses for full-time staff and printing set a high barrier to entry into the field. One of the principal hurdles to any new paper would be the printing equipment itself. Most newspapers in Kuwait have their own presses, which cost millions of dollars. Any newcomers to the field would have to either buy a printing press or make arrangements to use another printer in Kuwait. Existing presses are limited. Most of the daily newspapers have their own and few other private presses are available for other publishers. Leasing time on any of these existing printing machines to meet morning delivery of a daily paper would be a challenge because most presses are already occupied printing existing newspapers. Comment -------------- ¶9. (SBU) A small market of just 3 million (only 1 million of whom are Kuwaiti) limits the number of newspapers that can be sustained successfully in Kuwait. Already there are five Arabic- and three English-language dailies with a combined circulation of approximately 385,000. The print media in Kuwait is privately owned and dependent on advertising dollars for profitability. Given limited readership and advertising sources it is unlikely that the Kuwaiti market could absorb more than three or four additional daily newspapers let alone the 15 that received new licenses so far. One commentator worried that Kuwaiti journalism standards would go down because new dailies would spread the limited pool of competent journalists thin and make the newspapers compete for readership by appealing to sensationalist material (ref B). ¶10. (SBU) While Islamist and conservative columnists are given editorial space in the press and most points of view are covered, the Kuwaiti media in general can be categorized as secular and generally pro-government, though it will be critical of the government within certain red lines. Most editors support the government of Kuwait and a long-term strategic relationship with the U.S. Thus, Kuwait does not have a daily newspaper that is singularly dedicated to conservative or Islamist points of view, although there are three weeklies that publish along these lines -- the Islamic Constitutional Movement's "Al-Haraka," the Social Reform Society's "Al-Mojtama," and the Salafi's "Al-Forqan." Among the new licensees none is backed by individuals known to espouse hardcore conservative views or anti-U.S. sentiments. Two of them, "Al-Nahar" and "Al-Mowatin," are backed financially by Kuwaiti Shi'a. Should these papers materialize, the Shi'a population in Kuwait could have a stronger voice in the community through these new vehicles. Overall, for the time being, the general tone of the Kuwait media will remain predominantly pro-government, pro-reform, and supportive of the U.S.-Kuwait relationship, if not U.S. policies in the region generally. ********************************************* * 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/ ********************************************* * LEBARON