OPPOSITION MPS SCORE VICTORY AS OIL AND

UNCLAS KUWAIT 001026 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR NEA/ARP, EEB/ESC/IEC, ENERGY FOR MWILLIAMSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV EPET ECPS KDEM KU NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SUBJECT: OPPOSITION MPS SCORE VICTORY AS OIL AND COMMUNICATIONS MINISTERS RESIGN REF: KUWAIT 989 Sensitive But Unclassified; Not for Internet distribution. ¶1. (SBU) Minister of Oil Shaykh Ali Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah and Minister of Communications/National Assembly Affairs Shireeda Al-Mousharji resigned from Cabinet June 30, only five days after Al-Jarrah was subjected to nine hours of questioning by opposition parliamentarians (reftel). Facing a no confidence vote July 9, Shaykh Ali Al-Jarrah's resignation was largely expected. Al-Mousharji's, however, came as more of a surprise. He reportedly resigned in solidarity with the Salafi Islamic Grouping (SIG),a conservative Islamist political association with whom Al-Mousharji is affiliated, which supported the no confidence motion against the Oil Minister. Minister of Electricity and Water Mohammed Al-Elaim has been given responsibility for the Oil Ministry and Minister of State for Housing Affairs Abdul Wahid Al-Awadi for the Communications Ministry and National Assembly Affairs, presumably on an interim basis. ¶2. (SBU) Comment: The resignations represent a victory for opposition parliamentarians and a blow to the Government. Shaykh Ali Al-Jarrah is the third minister - the second from the ruling family - forced to resign since opposition MPs won a parliamentary majority in last summer's elections. The political ramifications aside, the resignations are not likely to have a major impact on the policies or day-to-day operations of either ministry. The oil sector is likely to welcome Al-Elaim, who is an engineer by training and once worked at Kuwait Oil Company, but problems of electricity and water shortages will consume most of his attention in the near term. 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