MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS DISCUSSES FHWA

UNCLAS KUWAIT 000612

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA/ARP FOR JACKSON, BAGWELL; STATE PLS PASS TO FHWA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON ELTN EINV PINR KU
SUBJECT: MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS DISCUSSES FHWA
COOPERATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

REF: KUWAIT 430


1. On 25 April, Ambassador met with new Minister of Public
Works (MPW) and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs
Moussa Hussein Abdullah Al-Sarraf to congratulate him on his
appointment (reftel) and discuss his priorities. The
Minister asked the Ambassador to encourage the U.S. Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA) to more rapidly detail more
consultants to Kuwait to work with the Ministry to help plan
and manage major road projects while training Ministry
personnel to develop these competencies. There are currently
three FHWA consultants in Kuwait, and the Minister would like
to have about ten. Al-Sarraf acknowledged that he had
received FHWA Administrator Capka's letter of congratulations
dated April 17, and added that he himself had worked closely
with FHWA engineers in Kuwait some years ago on the initial
development of Kuwait's highway network. The Minister said
he hoped to see cooperation between the FHWA and MPW rise to
the level he had experienced during that period.


2. Al-Sarraf explained that the MPW is responsible for
roads, buildings, and mega-projects (including construction
of a major container port on Bubiyan island, touristic
development on Failaka island, construction of the "Silk
City" commercial and residential city in Subiyya, and
construction of a 40-km causeway across Kuwait Bay to connect
Kuwait City and Subiyya). The Kuwait Municipality, which
Al-Sarraf also oversees, is responsible for urban planning,
land allocation and permitting. The Planning Ministry, which
currently falls under the responsibility of Finance Minister
Bader Al-Humaidhi, is responsible for surveys, statistics,
and budget oversight related to development projects.
Al-Sarraf said he was pleased to now have both the
Municipality and Public Works under his responsibility since
this should help to reduce unnecessary bureaucratic delays
and interagency friction (and his long experience at the
municipality will help.) He was also pleased to have the
Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) separated from
his portfolio since PAHW, which is primarily responsible for
assigning public housing to citizens, has little direct
involvement in development planning and project management.


3. The Minister said his priorities included: 1) Securing
Parliamentary approval for the Public Private Partnership Law
(also known as the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) law) and the
Public Properties Law, 2) Increasing public confidence in the
MPW and Municipality following numerous allegations of
corruption, and 3) Improving the public contracting process
to rationalize roles and responsibilities, reduce red tape,
and improve coordination between government officials,
consultants, and contractors. Al-Sarraf said that progress
on most of the mega-projects would have to await passage of
the BOT law and Public Properties law.


4. When asked by the Ambassador about the challenges of
recruiting qualified civil engineers, the Minister said that
engineering graduates from Kuwait University were technically
competent but frequently lacked the practical experience and
English language skills that would allow them to perform most
effectively. He said he hoped to focus on mentoring and
training programs for young engineers and suggested that this
was another area in which FHWA consultants could play a
useful role.

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LeBaron