PARLIAMENT SPEAKER PREDICTS PASSAGE OF KATRINA AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 001024 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/ELA, EB, PRM/ANE, NSC FOR RAMCHAND E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2017 TAGS: PREL EAID LE KU KATRINA AID SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT SPEAKER PREDICTS PASSAGE OF KATRINA AND LEBANON AID REF: A. KUWAIT 931 ¶B. KUWAIT 487 ¶C. 06 KUWAIT 4109 ¶D. 06 KUWAIT 3309 Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) Speaker of Parliament Jassem Al-Khorafi told the Ambassador June 30 he expected Parliament would pass the remaining $400 million of the $500 million aid package Kuwait pledged in September 2005 to assist victims of hurricane Katrina (ref C) before it goes into summer recess sometime mid-July. Al-Khorafi explained that, to ease passage, the aid package had been added to the budget, which Parliament is expected to debate and vote on next week. He said the $300 million in aid Kuwait pledged to Lebanon after Hizballah's conflict with Israel last summer (ref D) had also been added to the budget and would be passed in a similar manner. (Note: Parliament must approve all foreign assistance over $100 million. End note.) ¶2. (C) Comment: Islamist and populist parliamentarians may object to the Katrina aid package, as they did to the proposed Article 98 agreement (ref B),but if unsupported they do not have the votes to block its passage. However, if they make a major issue out of it, the Government could agree to postpone the vote until after Parliament reconvenes in the fall. End comment. ********************************************* * 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