Kuwaiti Groups Put Differences Aside in United Call for Change

KUWAIT CITY —  Six main opposition parties banded together on Monday to demand democracy and an election date, and diplomats and Kuwaiti government officials said President Bush wrote to Kuwait’s emir urging greater pluralism.

The groups that came together to appeal for freedom have often quarreled in the past.

“This is the first time we have all been united under one tent,” said Sheik Jasim Mohalhel, leader of a fundamentalist organization.

In all, 89 leaders of Pan-Arabist, leftist, Sunni Muslim, Shiite Muslim, independent and Western-leaning moderate groups signed a nine-page manifesto.

Its main demands are a free press, an independent judiciary, legalized political parties and anti-corruption measures.

Since Kuwait’s liberation Feb. 27 by the allied forces, both the United States and Britain have urged more freedom in the emirate.

Before Monday, various opposition groups had made isolated demands for change, but the uniting of secular and Islamic factions could mark a new phase in Kuwait’s move toward democracy.

In his letter delivered Sunday, Bush urged the emir, Sheik Jabbar al Ahmed al Sabah, to democratize Kuwait, according to Western diplomats and Kuwaiti officials familiar with the contents. They said the letter called in general terms for elections and more pluralism in Kuwait.

Mohammed Alradi, the chief of protocol for the emir, confirmed that Kuwait’s ruler received a letter from Bush on Sunday. Asked if it concerned political changes, he said: “All of President Bush’s letters are about democracy.”

The White House confirmed the existence of the letter. Spokesman Stephen Hart refused to comment on its content but said: “Obviously, the U.S. favors democratic change and supports democracy.”

Still, he noted, “the pace of democratic change is for the Kuwaitis to determine themselves.”

Kuwait’s government resigned March 19 after intense criticism by many Kuwaitis over its inability to restore essential services after the seven-month Iraqi occupation.