VZCZCXRO5171
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHKU #4498/01 3251424
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 211424Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7664
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 KUWAIT 004498 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NSC FOR RAMCHAND 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR KDEM KU FREEDOM AGENDA
SUBJECT: INFLUENTIAL AL-SABAH EXPRESSES FRUSTRATION WITH 
PRIME MINISTER, PARLIAMENT 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 4075 
     ¶B. KUWAIT 1911 (NOT ALL) 
     ¶C. 05 KUWAIT 3677 
     ¶D. 04 KUWAIT 4540 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (S/NF) Summary: In a November 17 meeting with Poloff, 
Shaykh Mohammed Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, an influential ruling 
family member with close ties to the Amir, expressed 
frustration with the Prime Minister's "weakness" and his 
inability to control an increasingly assertive Parliament. 
He complained that Parliament had "encroached" on many 
Executive powers and criticized the Government's 
"laissez-faire attitude" in allowing this to happen.  Shaykh 
Mohammed believed the Prime Minister was trying to "re-align" 
by distancing himself from controversial figures like Shaykh 
Mohammed and former Minister of Energy Shaykh Ahmed Al-Fahd, 
but argued that he now had no one capable of "running" 
Parliament for him.  According to Shaykh Mohammed, the Amir 
had not fully dismissed the possibility of dissolving 
Parliament unconstitutionally despite his public rejection of 
such a move.  He claimed "legalizing" political parties would 
be "an admission of the weakness of the Al-Sabah family and 
their inability to rule," something as a member of the ruling 
family he was "sad to see." 
 
¶2.  (S/NF)  Shaykh Mohammed complained that criticism of 
government corruption was often hypocritical.  He said he 
opposed the five constituency electoral system because it 
would lead to an "unbalanced Parliament."  Shaykh Mohammed 
said he "respected" the Islamic Constitutional Movement 
(ICM), the political arm of the Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood, 
but did not completely trust them.  He argued that "Kuwaiti 
Hizballah" was "the same thing" as Lebanese Hizballah with 
"the same structure and the same funding."  Shaykh Mohammed 
noted that drugs were becoming more prominent in Kuwait as 
the supply of alcohol dried up.  He believed overall 
U.S.-Kuwait bilateral relations were very good, particularly 
after the Amir's visit to Washington in September; Shaykh 
Mohammed was a member of the Amir's delegation and attended 
his meetings with the President.  (Refs B, C, and D report 
prior conversations with the Shaykh.)  End summary. 
 
Shaykh Mohammed Criticized for Corruption 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C/NF) Poloff met November 17 with Shaykh Mohammed 
Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah at his luxurious beachfront villa. 
Several of the Shaykh's friends were watching television in 
same the room and at times chimed in with their comments. 
The Head of the Citizens' Services Agency, the government 
body responsible for doling out one-time grants to citizens 
and for sending Kuwaitis abroad for medical treatment, and 
one of two surviving grandsons of former Amir Shaykh Mubarak 
Al-Kabir, the founder of modern Kuwait, Shaykh Mohammed is an 
influential, young Shaykh in the inner circle of the ruling 
family.  On November 6, Parliament voted 32 to 21 with seven 
abstentions against suspending Shaykh Mohammed from his 
position for three months while the recently-created 
parliamentary committee on elections violations investigates 
charges he attempted to manipulate electoral outcomes in the 
June 2006 elections.  During the session, some 
parliamentarians (MPs) called on the Government to close the 
Citizens' Services Agency, arguing that it was "a breeding 
ground for corruption."  Liberal, opposition MP Saleh 
Al-Fadhala claimed Shaykh Mohammed used his position to 
support pro-Government candidates in the election, granting 
favors to their constituents in return for votes.  "Shaykh 
Mohammed enjoys tremendous clout as he is close to some 
influential people and as a result he continues to be in 
office," Al-Fadhala said. 
 
Prime Minister "Weak"; Unable to "Run" Parliament 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶4.  (S/NF) Shaykh Mohammed described Prime Minister Shaykh 
Nasser Mohammed as "too nice."  After four glasses of wine, 
"nice" changed to "weak."  Shaykh Mohammed said Shaykh Nasser 
was offered the job of Prime Minister based on his seniority 
and noted that several older Shaykhs had turned down the 
position, including Shaykh Nawaf Al-Ahmed, who wanted to 
serve only as Crown Prince.  "We need someone who can run the 
Parliament," Shaykh Mohammed argued, citing the passage of 
women's suffrage legislation and the deflection of seven 
ministerial grillings in 2005 as examples of "our success" in 
getting key legislation through Parliament.  (Comment: In 
saying "our success," Shaykh Mohammed was likely referring to 
himself, former Minister of Energy Ahmed Al-Fahd Al-Sabah, 
 
KUWAIT 00004498  002 OF 004 
 
 
former State Minister for Cabinet/National Affairs Mohammed 
Sharar, and possibly Shaykh Athbi Al-Fahd, the former 
Director of Kuwait State Security (KSS) and Shaykh Ahmed's 
brother.  The first three, referred to by some as "the 
corrupt trio," were accused of corruption and attempting to 
manipulate electoral outcomes during the June elections.  End 
comment.) 
 
¶5.  (S/NF) Asked about the implications of Shaykh Ahmed's 
exclusion from Cabinet, Shaykh Athbi's "resignation" as KSS 
Director, and Parliament's strong criticism of him, Shaykh 
Mohammed said he believed the Prime Minister was trying to 
"re-align himself."  "And I understand this," Shaykh Mohammed 
said, but argued that "now the Prime Minister doesn't have 
anyone capable of 'running' the Parliament for him."   He 
complained that Parliament had "encroached on many of the 
powers of the Executive," a process the Government had 
allowed to happen by taking such a "laissez faire attitude." 
"As a member of the ruling family, this is sad for me to 
see," he said. 
 
Unconstitutional Dissolution Still a Possibility 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶6.  (S/NF) Shaykh Mohammed claimed the Amir had been talking 
about the possibility of an unconstitutional dissolution of 
Parliament for months, but admitted that this was "less 
likely now than a couple of weeks ago" due to the strong 
public reaction to rumors the Amir was considering such a 
move.  Asked why the Amir had openly discussed this 
possibility in meetings with the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce, 
the Higher Council for the Application of Islamic Shari'a, 
and the Speaker of Parliament, as reported by a number of our 
contacts, Shaykh Mohammed responded, "That's Shaykh Sabah. 
He is very direct."  He said the Amir might still dissolve 
Parliament unconstitutionally if opposition MPs continued to 
attack the Government, adding that the "red line" would be 
"grilling" the Prime Minister.  (Note: In a November 19 
meeting with the Editors-in-Chief of several local dailies, 
the Amir emphatically denied rumors that he was considering 
dissolving Parliament unconstitutionally (i.e. for more than 
two months).  "Reports about a plan to dissolve Parliament 
unconstitutionally are totally baseless.  This idea has never 
come up at all," the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) quoted the 
Amir as saying.  End Note.) 
 
¶7.  (S/NF) Shaykh Mohammed said he told the Amir he doubted 
the U.S. would strongly condemn such a move, arguing that the 
U.S. would not/not do anything to jeopardize its close 
relations with Kuwait.  Shaykh Mohammed made no mention of 
widespread rumors in Kuwait that the U.S. had already given 
the Amir the "green light" to dissolve Parliament 
unconstitutionally. 
 
¶8.  (S/NF) Shaykh Mohammed said he told the Amir that "for an 
unconstitutional dissolution to be successful," the Council 
of Ministers (Cabinet) would need to be composed of 
"technocrats" with strong ties to the main political groups 
in Parliament.  Such a Government "would need to implement an 
ambitious development program to be able to show people after 
two years that the Government had made significant 
accomplishments," he argued.  While supporting this option, 
Shaykh Mohammed expressed doubt that the Government could 
recruit ministers of this type.  He argued they would not 
want to work with PM Shaykh Nasser nor be a part of a Cabinet 
formed during a period of unconstitutional dissolution. 
According to Shaykh Mohammed, many competent individuals had 
turned down posts in the current Government for similar 
reasons and because they "did not want to be punching bags 
for Parliament." 
 
"Respect" for ICM, but Opposition to Political Parties 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶9.  (S/NF) Asked his views on the Islamic Constitutional 
Movement (ICM), the political arm of the Kuwaiti Muslim 
Brotherhood, Shaykh Mohammed said he "liked" and "respected" 
the organization, but admitted later that he did not 
completely trust them.  "They are very well organized, well 
funded, and transparent, at least on the surface, about what 
they want," which makes it easy to work with them, he 
explained.  Shaykh Mohammed also praised the ICM's "Whip 
system," saying he "only need(ed) to talk to one person and I 
know that (the ICM's) six MPs will abide by whatever 
agreement we reach." 
 
¶10.  (S/NF) If working with an organized political group is 
easier, then why not "legalize" political parties, Poloff 
asked.  (Note: While not technically illegal, political 
 
KUWAIT 00004498  003 OF 004 
 
 
parties are not recognized by the Government nor specifically 
permitted under the Constitution.  End note.)  "We can't," 
Shakyh Mohammed responded.  "Legalizing political parties 
would be an admission of the weakness of the Al-Sabah family 
and our inability to rule," he explained.  He argued that the 
Al-Sabah's power lay in their control over the Council of 
Ministers and believed that relinquishing this authority to 
Parliament by allowing the assembly to elect the Prime 
Minister would mean a significant diminution in the power and 
influence of the ruling family.  "As a member of the ruling 
family, I don't want to see this happen," he said.  (Comment: 
Shaykh Mohammed did not distinguish between the legalization 
of parties and a popularly-elected Prime Minister, two 
separate issues that seemed synonymous in his mind.  End 
comment.) 
 
Five Constituencies Will Lead to "Unbalanced Parliament" 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶11.  (S/NF) Shaykh Mohammed said he opposed the five 
constituency electoral system because it would result in an 
"unbalanced Parliament" with only "four, or at most five, 
Shi'a MPs."  He argued this would be "unfair" since Shi'a 
represent "at least 20 percent of the population."  (Note: 
Most estimates put the Shi'a minority at between 30 and 35 
percent of the Kuwaiti population.  End note.)  Asked if this 
was an intentional result, he said to "ask (Salafi Islamist 
MP) Ahmed Baqer," who drafted the proposal that was 
ultimately adopted.  "In other words, yes," he concluded. 
According to Shaykh Mohammed, 27 urban and 23 tribal MPs will 
be elected given the current distribution of the five 
constituencies. 
 
"Corruption": It Depends on Who You Talk To 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶12.  (S/NF) Shaykh Mohammed complained that criticism of 
Government corruption was often hypocritical: the critics 
were generally corrupt themselves.  "Take any MP...OK, (ICM 
MP) Nasser Al-Sane.  Al-Sane receives 200,000 KD ($692,000) 
per year in government contracts that we do not need.  That 
is a form of corruption.  And he is head of Arab 
Parliamentarians Against Corruption organization," he noted 
ironically.  (Note: In October, Al-Sane, along with the other 
five members of the ICM in Parliament, made their personal 
financial records public to promote transparency in 
government (reftel).  Although they encouraged other 
government officials to do the same, thus far none have 
followed their example.  End note.) 
 
"Kuwaiti Hizballah" the "Same Thing" as Lebanese Hizballah 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
¶13.  (S/NF) Shaykh Mohammed argued that "Kuwaiti Hizballah" 
was "the same thing" as Hizballah in Lebanon with "the same 
structure and the same funding."  He claimed that "Kuwaiti 
Hizballah" directly funded Lebanese Hizballah.  Shaykh 
Mohammed believed Hizballah was "very active" in Kuwait and 
mentioned MPs Adnan Abdul Samad and Ahmed Lari as members. 
(Comment: "Kuwaiti Hizballah" is a pejorative term used to 
describe pro-Iran Shi'a in Kuwait.  Although we don't rule it 
out, we have seen no evidence to suggest there is a Hizballah 
branch in Kuwait with direct organizational ties to Lebanese 
Hizballah.  MPs Samad and Lari are both members of the 
National Islamic Alliance (NIA), an Iran-leaning Shi'a 
political association, which people often refer to as 
"Kuwaiti Hizballah."  End comment.)  Shaykh Mohammed 
described Sayed Mohammed Baqer Al-Mohri, a prominent Shi'a 
cleric in Kuwait not affiliated with NIA, as "a non-entity" 
who "controls at most 200 people in Kuwait." 
 
Drugs More Prevalent as Alcohol Dries Up 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶14.  (S/NF) On a completely different subject, Shaykh 
Mohammed reported that black market alcohol in Kuwait, most 
of which comes from Iraq, was becoming more scarce (and 
expensive) due to newly-installed vehicle x-ray machines on 
the Kuwait-Iraq border.  As a result, he said drugs were 
becoming more prevalent.  According to him, marijuana and 
hashish were the drugs of choice, but heroin and other hard 
drugs were also increasingly common.  Drugs, which come 
primarily from Iran, were easier to smuggle into the country 
than alcohol, he explained.  Shaykh Mohammed said ecstasy and 
MDA, both popular in the European rave scene, were not widely 
used in Kuwait.  "Who wants an 'upper' in Kuwait?" one of his 
friends commented wryly. 
 
¶15.  (C/NF) A full bio of Shaykh Mohammed is available on our 
 
KUWAIT 00004498  004 OF 004 
 
 
classified website. 
 
********************************************* * 
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