Gulf | Kuwait
US diplomat ruffles feathers in Kuwait
The US ambassador in Kuwait has been urged to leave the country by a local lawmaker who felt insulted by her playful remark about the country's parliament.
- By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 23:32 September 14, 2009
Manama: The US ambassador in Kuwait has been urged to leave the country by a local lawmaker who felt insulted by her playful remark about the country's parliament.
The remark was made during a briefing about the political situation and security issues in the Gulf when Ambassador Deborah Jones talked about the composition of the new parliament which includes four women for the first time.
"In fact, we have seen some progress with this new parliament that was just voted in because, famously or infamously, it has four US educated women, all PhD holders from American institutions, each of them as different as night and day.
"I have often teased my Kuwaiti colleagues because many of them refer to them as the 'Four Cats' and I say does that mean the remaining ones are dogs in parliament. I don't know?" the ambassador said at the Middle East Institute, the Washington-based think tank, on August 27.
Lawmaker Mohammad Al Hayef said that the ambassador should be expelled for "insulting Kuwait".
"We will not accept the presence of an ambassador who uses such descriptions when talking about the representatives of the Kuwaiti people. Such portrayals are not normally used by common people, let alone by diplomats who are fully responsible for their statements," Al Hayef said.
"We want the government to expel the American ambassador and we demand an apology from the US to the people of Kuwait& The government is responsible for the respect of its institutions and diplomats have to respect the state both in Kuwait and abroad," he said.
However, Jassem Al Khorafi, the much-respected speaker of the parliament, dismissed Al Hayef's claims, saying that the US ambassador did not insult the parliament.
"I have read the statements made by the US ambassador and I can say that they did not include any insult to the parliament. I can assure you that from my knowledge about Ambassador Deborah Jones that she is keen on enhancing relations between Kuwait and the US. There is no need for an apology because there was no harm done," Al Khorafi sai
15th US ambassador to Kuwait since 1961
Manama Ambassador Deborah Jones is the 15th US Ambassador to Kuwait since the state's independence in 1961.
Jones is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, having been with the Department of State since 1982. Prior to her assignment as ambassador, she served as principal officer at the US Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey.
Her previous overseas assignments include Abu Dhabi, Addis Ababa, Baghdad, Buenos Aires and Damascus.
Her service in Washington, D.C. includes two years as country director of the Office of Arabian Peninsula and Iran Affairs in addition to assignments as staff assistant to Assistant Secretary for Near East and South Asia Affairs Richard Murphy, acting public affairs adviser to assistant secretary for near east affairs, desk officer for Jordan, and duty in the Operations Center.
Jones has also served on the Board of Examiners for the foreign service.
Do you think the US ambassador's remark was insulting? Should the ambassador apologise? Do you think the call to expel the ambassador was politically motivated?
Your comments
For sure it was insulting to compare Kuwaiti male MPs to dogs, but I do believe that she did not really realize it when saying it as she was more focussing on making a good joke...
Abdullah
Oxford,UK
Posted: September 15, 2009, 17:25
Yes, she should, if she has used the phrases of" I don't know why they call women 4 cats as if the men are dogs"
An Ambassador of USA to use such language in the public - is not only rude and ignorance but also unprofessional. She should have kept for herself whatever her reaction, opinion or view was instead of making it public.
I thought US and its Ambassadors are the" mothers of all the civilizations".
Zahra J. Saleh
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: September 15, 2009, 12:39
I do not think the Ambassador meant to insult Kuwait or its people. Though she could have chosen her words better. The anecdote may have only been appropriate in a smaller Diwaniya setting.
Duncan McCloud
Kuwait,Kuwait
Posted: September 15, 2009, 12:25
Yes, everyone, I mean EVERYONE, knows that a reference to dogs alone is something that could be offensive in Arab culture. As an American, I believe she needs to be replaced with someone who has more sense to think before she speaks. Can't believe this person is an Ambassador.
Rich
Dubai,UAE
Posted: September 15, 2009, 12:22
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