Agence France Presse  --  Arab News

KUWAIT CITY, 6 June 2004 — An Islamist lawmaker yesterday accused the US Embassy of interfering in Kuwait’s internal affairs and working out “plans and strategies” to influence its domestic policies.

“US pressure is no longer limited to issuing annual reports on human rights, democracy and religious freedom,” Kuwaiti MP Jassem Al-Kundari said in a statement.

“It has exceeded that to working out plans and strategies, organizing meetings and funding Kuwaiti political activities with the intention of influencing domestic policy in certain fields,” the MP charged. “This contradicts the basic rules of respecting sovereignty and democratic practices,” he added.

The MP cited instances where the US Embassy in Kuwait organized and funded meetings and studies aimed at promoting the rights of women, who are deprived of their political rights, saying this represented an interference in Kuwait’s affairs.

He said the US ambassador organized two meetings in May 2003 and January this year for labor attaches and diplomats of countries exporting manpower to Kuwait to “discuss ideas for dealing with problems facing laborers” in the emirate.

The US Embassy however issued a statement denying that its “outreach programs” in Kuwait amounted to interference in the emirate’s domestic affairs.

“The US Embassy strongly denies the characterization of embassy programs as interference in internal Kuwaiti affairs,” said the statement. “Kuwait is an indispensable ally of the United States. We respect the sovereignty of this great partner,” it said.

“The US Embassy is proud of its outreach programs in Kuwait ... This mutual cooperation is neither interference in Kuwait’s internal affairs, nor a lack of respect for the nation of Kuwait, the government, society of Kuwait, nor the religion of Islam, all of which we hold in the highest esteem,” it added.

Kuwaiti Islamist groups have in the past few months expressed concern over what they call “increasing US pressure” on the emirate for certain political goals.

In April, the main Islamist groups called on the government to reject the appointment of Richard LeBaron as new US envoy to the emirate because he had served in Israel.