The Majority Bloc is yet to agree on a probe demanded regarding the K-Dow project, and that ever since disagreements were made regarding the names MP Jamaan Al-Harbash nominated to take part in a planned investigations committee.

According to sources close to the coalition, Parliament Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun criticized Al-Harbash Tuesday for earlier statements in which he mentioned specific names for the panel that will probe the reasons which led to Kuwait being required by an International Court order to pay $ 2.16 billion to Dow Chemical over a contract with the government-owned Petroleum Industries Company that was canceled by the cabinet in late 2008 under MPs’ pressure.

Al-Harbash, who is head of the Majority Bloc’s coordination committee, had announced that MPs Abdurrahman Al-Anjari and Faisal Al-Yahya are nominated for the investigation panel’s membership, while a third spot will be left for a lawmaker from the parliament’s minority.

The announcements drew immediate reactions from bloc members including MP Dr Obaid Al-Wasmi who shortly made a statement criticizing the selection. Meanwhile, sources who spoke to Al-Qabas on the condition of anonymity indicate that Al-Harbash received criticism from MP Mohammad Hayef and Deputy Speaker Khalid Al-Sultan among others.

The sources further indicate that Al-Harbash faced these criticisms by offering to step down from his position as head of the bloc’s coordination committee, “but his proposal was rejected by bloc members”. An agreement was reached after that to assign Al-Saadoun, Al-Harbash, Al-Wasmi, Al-Yahiya and Abdurrahman Al-Anjari to put mechanisms based on which the proposal to establish the K-Dow investigations committee will be put. The source speculate on that part that these developments “seriously hurt” the effectiveness of the coordination committee in helping the Majority Bloc.

Meanwhile, sources within the cabinet expressed pessimism about the chance of improvement in the relationship with the parliament given the current developments as a result of grilling motions and the cabinet’s decision to reject a draft law that sets capital punishment as the penalty for an offender of God and the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

The tensions could be avoided in either one of two ways as the sources speculate; the first of which includes a “drastic reshuffle for” or even resignation of the cabinet and selecting ministers that have the Majority MPs’ prior approval, while the second basically requires the current cabinet to submit to whatever the parliament demands.

On that regard, Al-Rai reported quoting “parliamentary sources” that the cabinet considers offering at least three portfolios to MPs in a reshuffled cabinet, “and even naming Ammar Al-Ajmi, Ahmad Al-Azmi, Hammad Al-Muttar and Ali Al-Omar as potential candidates” they would welcome as ministers.

The sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity indicate that “names of individuals outside the parliament who are close to the Majority Bloc are being mentioned during the ongoing negotiations”.

In other news, head of the parliament’s budgets committee warned that Kuwait faces a real risk of suffering a budget deficit should oil prices drop below $ 101 per barrel. “We can see a true deficit in the state’s budget should oil prices drop below the average of $ 101 to $ 103 per barrel, which is the oil price average that the budget is based on”, MP Adnan Abdulsamad explained Tuesday, adding that a potential deficit in this case can only be rectified by compensating it with future budget surplus or oil price increase. “We have reached a critical point with regards to the state’s general budget”, he warned.

Separately, repporteur of the parliament’s health and social affairs committee, MP Dr Mohammad Al-Kandari, met Tuesday with head of the United Nations office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) Paul Hansen “who expressed the international community’s concern over the situation of the sports sector in Kuwait”.

Al-Kandari further indicated that meetings with the UN officials were to continue “to talk solutions that help enable Kuwait to raise the national flag in the upcoming Olympics”.