VZCZCXRO5128
PP RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDIR
DE RUEHKU #0608/01 1721512
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 211512Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3508
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000608 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/14/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PTER PINR GTIP KTFN KHUM KU
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES TIP WITH NEW MINISTER OF 
SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND LABOR 
 
REF: STATE60642 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Pete O'Donohue for reasons 1.4 b and 
 d 
 
1.(C) SUMMARY: During her June 21 introductory meeting with 
newly appointed Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr. 
Mohammad Al-Afasi, the Ambassador urged immediate action to 
meet Kuwait's stated commitments under previous TIP action 
plans to protect expat labor, specifically anti-TIP 
legislation; continued prosecutions; a permanent shelter for 
domestics; and in-house TIP training for Kuwaiti law 
enforcement and social services personnel.  Al-Afasi 
expressed displeasure at the TIP report, but affirmed the 
GOK's commitment to pass TIP legislation and repeatedly 
emphasized his dedication to close U.S.-Kuwait ties.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
-------------------------- 
SHOCKED AT TIP REPORT & ITS LACK OF REFERENCES 
-------------------------- 
 
2.(C) On June 21, the Ambassador met newly appointed Minister 
of Social Affairs and Labor Dr. Mohammad Al-Afasi to discuss 
the 2009 TIP report and Kuwait's continued Tier 3 ranking 
(Ref A).  The Ambassador noted that while the government had 
taken steps to address a number of issues, the absence of 
legislation criminalizing trafficking was a major impediment 
to the success of those efforts. The Ambassador suggested 
that the government, in responding to the TIP report, lay the 
responsibility for such legislation squarely on the shoulders 
of members of the Kuwaiti National Assembly.  In reply, 
Al-Afasi said he was shocked at the TIP report.  He expressed 
frustration that it had no references to any GOK or NGO 
sources which might enable him to verify its claims. He said 
the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor had recently 
submitted a TIP draft law and that he was going to see the 
National Assembly's legal affairs committee later in the day 
to urge them to support it.  The Ambassador noted that the 
treatment of domestic servants and menial laborers remained 
problematic throughout the Gulf.  Al-Afasi suggested that 
many laborers had been recruited overseas without clear 
notions of what their duties entailed.  He suggested that the 
draft legislation would deal with this as well as domestics' 
work hours and work days, saying "In the draft law, we 
regulate working hours for maids."  When asked about 
reforming or eliminating Kuwait's "kafeel" sponsorship system 
for foreign workers (which requires each foreign worker to 
have a Kuwaiti sponsor who can cancel said sponsorship at any 
time), Al-Afasi said that the decision to keep the system 
intact came from above and implied that he was loath to 
oppose that decision, saying, "We are military personnel and 
we keep discipline." 
 
-------------------------- 
SUPPORTS CLOSE U.S.-KUWAIT RELATIONS 
-------------------------- 
 
3.(C) Despite his professed shock at the TIP report, the 
U.S.-educated Al-Afasi was courteous and expressed 
appreciation for the close U.S.-Kuwait relationship, saying, 
"Kuwait is your close friend" and, "We appreciate the major 
role the U.S. played in our liberation."  He added that, "It 
is hard to find a Kuwaiti who doesn't like the U.S." and said 
this is one reason why Kuwaitis found such open criticism 
painful. 
 
-------- 
BIO NOTE 
-------- 
 
4.(C) This is Dr. Mohammad Mohsen Al-Afasi's first 
ministerial appointment:  he was previously head of the 
Kuwait Army's legal department and reached the rank of Lt. 
General in the Kuwaiti military.  He is a Sunni 
pro-government conservative and a member of the Al-Mutair 
tribe. He earned an MA in Law from Miami University in Ohio, 
an MA in Political Science from New York University, and a 
PhD in International Law in London. In 1998, he had a two 
week JAG training course in the U.S. and visited various 
military installations.  He has a farm in Kuwait staffed by 
eight foreign laborers.  His brother-in-law (his wife's 
brother) is MP Musallam Al-Barrak, a staunch opponent of the 
government.  He has five sons and three daughters, none of 
whom was born in the U.S.  Three of his children are 
physicians and attended Kuwait University's college of 
medicine.  Two of his children are lawyers, one of whom 
(Fahad) obtained his PhD from Egypt and now works in the 
office of legal advice and legislation at Kuwait's Council of 
 
KUWAIT 00000608  002 OF 002 
 
 
Ministers.  Another child has a PhD in e-commerce.  He can 
conduct meetings in English but does not have native-level 
fluency (he often pauses when he speaks and has a mild 
stammer).  He is a friendly interlocutor and shakes hands 
with women.  He met the Ambassador without any staff, perhaps 
because he did not want his staff seeing him being so 
conciliatory in the wake of the critical TIP report. 
 
********************************************* ********* 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
visit Kuwait's Classified Website at: 
 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Kuwa it 
********************************************* ********* 
JONES