DEPUTY CHIEF OF KUWAIT NATIONAL GUARD ON CURRENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 001717 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR S/CT, DS/ATA, NEA/ARP ENERGY FOR KOLEVAR E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2017 TAGS: ASEC EPET KCIP KU PGOV PINR PTER SUBJECT: DEPUTY CHIEF OF KUWAIT NATIONAL GUARD ON CURRENT STATE OF POLITICS AND CEIP Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, Alan G. Misenheimer, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On December 10, Charge d'Affaires, Defense Attache and POLOFF met with Shaykh Mish'al Al-Ahmed Al Sabah, Deputy Chief of the Kuwait National Guard (KNG). Shaykh Mish'al is the half-brother of both the current and former Amirs as well as the Crown Prince, and is considered to be one of the top three decision-makers in the royal family. During the meeting Shaykh Mish'al responded to questions regarding the current tensions between the government and National Assembly and Critical Energy Infrastructure Protection (CEIP). ¶2. (C) Shaykh Mish'al addressed the issue of the current tensions between the government and the National Assembly warily. His bottom line was that the Amir would take into account everything he is seeing and hearing and make a decision based on the good of the country. Shaykh Mish'al gave no indication of when this might happen but did say that the Amir's decision would be a constitutional one, meaning that if the National Assembly is dissolved, elections must be called within two months. Shaykh Mish'al did not give his personal opinion directly but he emphasized that a strong government is needed, one that would not let a legislative body get in the way of moving the country forward. He also noted that since Kuwait's constitution was written, times have changed and the constitution should be amended to reflect these changes: a pattern that many western democracies have followed. ¶3. (C) Charge briefed Shaykh Mish'al on the U.S. CEIP initiative. He declined to offer advice on the long-pending question of whether the Interior Ministry or National Security Bureau would take the lead on the GOK side, but welcomed USG guidance and assistance on CEIP. Shaykh Mish'al made an energetic pitch for additional training for the KNG in terms of operations and planning. Post will continue to press the issue of CEIP with the Ministry of Interior and National Security Bureau, the organization most likely to lead on the program. ********************************************* * 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/ ********************************************* * MISENHEIMER