Kuwaiti oil minister keeps job in new cabinet

Platts
Kuwait City
Petroleumworld.com 02 10 06

Kuwaiti oil minister Sheikh Ahmed Fahed al-Sabah has retained his job in
the country's new cabinet led by newly-appointed prime minister Sheikh Nasser
al-Mohammed al-Sabah, state media reported Thursday.

Other key portfolios such as defense, interior, and foreign affairs also
remained in the hands of the ruling al-Sabah family.

State radio and television broadcast the decree issued by the emir,
Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, listing the new cabinet members. The new
government reflected limited changes from the ministers who were installed in
the 2003 government. But the new formation did include a newly-established
Ministry of Municipality, headed by Abdullah al-Mhelby.

Kuwait's new ruler Feb 7 appointed Sheikh Nasser as prime minister and
ordered him through a decree to form the new government.

Sheikh Sabah, who had served as prime minister since 2003, was officially
sworn in as emir by the elected parliament on Jan 29. He became the ruler
after parliament on Jan 24 deposed on health grounds the ailing Sheikh Saad
Abdullah al-Sabah, who had become emir after the Jan 15 death of long-serving
ruler Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmed al-Sabah.

Sheikh Jaber's death set off a succession crisis that gripped the country
until Sheikh Sabah finally assumed power.

A total of six al-Sabah family members make up the new 16-member cabinet,
including the prime minister. Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah, defense
minister since 2003, was named as first deputy premier. He retained his
defense post and was also assigned to head the interior ministry.

Sheikh Mohammed al-Sabah kept his position as minister of foreign affairs
and was also named deputy premier. Sheikh Ahmed al-Abdullah al-Sabah took over the health ministry.

Mohammed Dhifallah al-Sharar retained his position as deputy premier and
minister of state for cabinet and parliament affairs.

The only woman within the cabinet, Masooma Mubarak, kept her position as
minister of planning.

Sheikh Nasser assigned two prominent Islamists, Abdullah al-Matook and
Adel al-Tabtabai to take over the ministries of justice and Islamic affairs
and endowments, and education, respectively.

Al-Matook held the Islamic affairs post in the previous cabinet, while
al-Tabtaai is a new member to the group.

The fifth al-Sabah and new member to the cabinet is Sheikh Ali al-Jarah
al-Sabah, who was assigned to lead the ministry of social affairs and labor.

With no change in the energy portfolio, officials said they expected
state oil policy to remain on track.

The state is pushing ahead with major oil projects to meet a production
target of 4-mil b/d by the year 2020.

Some of those projects include a new 615,000 b/d capacity refinery,
expanded export facilities, and overall upgrades to existing production
facilities.

The state is also expected to try and push ahead with a controversial
multi-billion dollar project to bring in foreign oil companies to help develop
northern oil fields.

The project has been delayed many times mainly by the elected parliament
which has insisted to play a role in its legal and financial structure so it
stays within the parameters of the constitution.

Last December, parliament removed the draft law aimed at guiding the
project from its agenda and sent it back to the key finance and economic
committee for review after the state's audit bureau found serious flaws in its
legal and financial terms.

The only member of parliament who is also a new addition to the cabinet
is Yousef al-ZeZelah, who is the chairman of the key finance and economic
committee. He has been assigned commerce and industry.

The new cabinet is expected to stay in power until 2007, when the country
is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections.

Platts 02/09/06

Copyright © 2006 Platts. All rights reserved

 

 

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