FREEDOM AGENDA: INFORMATION MINISTER REPORTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000703

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PI, NEA/PPD, NSC FOR RAMCHAND,
LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2012
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KU PREL IZ KMPI FREEDOM AGENDA
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: INFORMATION MINISTER REPORTS
MOVEMENT ON PRESS LAW AND CONSTITUENCY REFORM

REF: A. 05 KUWAIT 5306

B. 05 KUWAIT 5083

C. 05 KUWAIT 4314

D. 05 KUWAIT 4293

Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: During a March 1, 2006 meeting with the
Ambassador, the newly re-appointed Minister of Information
commented optimistically about progress made on the draft
press law and reduction in the number of political
constituencies in Kuwait, two key Freedom Agenda elements.
The Minister expressed pride in the performance of the
Kuwaiti government during the recent succession crisis and
enthusiasm for the speed with which the draft press law was
being addressed by the Kuwaiti parliament. He was more
guarded about prospects for reduction in the number of
electoral districts. End summary.

Enthusiastic Support for Reform
--------------


2. (C) Having received a strong vote of confidence
exemplified by the retention of his position during the
recent shuffling of the Kuwaiti cabinet, Anas Mohammed
Al-Rashed greeted the Ambassador on March 1 with a general
sense of optimism and enthusiasm. During their discussion of
the status of political reforms in Kuwait, the Minister
remarked positively with respect to what he viewed as the
parliament's speedy review of the draft press law. The
former university professor said that the press law would be
tabled for a final discussion and a possible vote in
parliament on Monday, March 6. He anticipated that the law
would be finalized soon, once the remaining five of
twenty-eight amendments have been addressed, and then
following a review period of two additional weeks. He opined
that his re-appointment was an indicator of the Shaykh
Sabah's support for the revised press law, since this had
been the centerpiece of his agenda as Minister of Information
prior to his re-appointment.

A Vote of Confidence During Crisis
--------------


3. (C) Al-Rashed spoke in an upbeat manner about the way in
which the succession issue had been handled in Kuwait. He
commented on the delicate position he had been put in as
Ministry of Information, with partisans among the Al-Sabah's
calling him with "suggestions" on the kinds of programming
that would be helpful to their particular vision of the
succession line-up. He was also pleased that the TV stations
the Ministry of Information controls went beyond the norm in
cases of an Arab leader's passing -- "I'm proud of our
performance during the succession crisis. Normally, when a
king or leader passes in this region, it's Quran all the way.
We let people talk about the late Amir and hold programs.
Some were unhappy, but this was a success." (Comment: This
comment by the Minister seemed to reveal a bit of reflexive
defensiveness, since Kuwait TV was criticized for its anodyne
programming during the succession events. Most Kuwaitis
turned to Al-Arabiya and Jazeera for both the hard news and
the rumors about what was going on in their leadership
circles.)

An Active Government - Essential to Democracy
--------------


4. (SBU) The Minister added that he believed the country was
strengthened by its handling of the challenges succession
raised to its constitution and parliament. He claimed that
there was satisfaction with the performance of the new
government and the active role that the Amir and the Crown
Prince have taken, even attributing the recent shift in the
timing of the parliament's consideration of reduction of the
number of electoral constituencies to independent
intervention on the part of the Prime Minister, Shaykh
Nasser. He lauded this tackling of a hotly disputed topic on
the part of the government as a move that was "good for
democracy and good for Kuwait." The Minister gave the
initiative a 60 percent chance of passing. In response to
the Ambassador's comment that the Government would need to
exercise determined leadership to get this proposal passed,
Al-Rashed agreed and stated that the government "cannot run
with everyone applauding. You have to choose the right
road." Regarding the need for reduction of constituencies,
he mentioned that detractors were those who were elected
under the status quo and, therefore, resist new directions,
but now that women have achieved the right to vote, changing
the system was critical to the achievement of their full and

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successful political participation.

Holding Back the Hardliners
--------------


5. (C) Referring to Iraq and Iran, Al-Rashed stated that
Kuwait must continually improve in the areas of democracy and
reform due to the demands it faced from its neighbors. He
reiterated a concern often expressed by many Kuwaitis, that
as a parent and a human being he was worried about the future
and relations with Iran. "This issue needs to be dealt with
quietly," he commented adding, "as Shaykh Sabah told
President Bush last year, give it time and use dialogue."
With respect to the Iraq, he said that the Kuwaiti Minister
of the Awqaf and Religious Affairs had roundly condemned the
destruction of the Shi'a mosque in Iraq and has pressed for
openness to Shi'a and Christian populations in Kuwait. He
characterized the minister as "balanced" despite facing
strong opposition from Kuwaiti hardliners and stressed the
need for more school programs that instilled moderate views
and progressive approaches in the youth.

MEPI, Media Projects, and Al-Manar
--------------


6. (C) Speaking of programs, the Ambassador and Minister
discussed a number of other topics, including a proposal by
IBB to swap radio frequencies with the GOK, regional MEPI
projects targeting the independent media, Kuwait's candidates
for the Edward R. Murrow IVLP, and the fact that Al Manar TV
channel is on the verge of being designated a terrorist
organization. Al-Rashed thanked the Ambassador for the
continued support of the USG through its diverse programs
and suggested that Public Affairs work closely with the
Ministry's Foreign Department to develop additional
opportunities for exchange, citing past projects with
American students. He mentioned that he planned to introduce
a new law for the regulation of television and radio and
sought the Embassy's support in identifying an expert or
specialist to assist the Ministry of Information with this
project.

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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/
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LEBARON