Sources close to the army leadership reported that the caretaker government's cabinet tasked Minister of Culture Mohamed Wissam Al-Mortada to mediate between Minister of Defense Maurice Sleem and the army command regarding the resolution of the file concerning those who passed the entrance exams to the military academy. Minister Sleem refused to sign the decision.
These sources told the Kuwaiti newspaper "Al-Anbaa" that they are waiting to see what Minister Al-Mortada will do, emphasizing that the leadership does not approach the issue as a victory for one team at the expense of another but adheres to the law in light of the Military Council, which is responsible for handling this file. This is in contrast to previous cases mentioned by the minister from his entry into the military school in 1972, when there was no Military Council at that time.
The sources mentioned that army commander General Joseph Aoun presented a detailed file to the cabinet during part of the Tuesday session, including all correspondence conducted by the leadership with the Minister of Defense, which contradicts the minister's claim that he was unaware of what happened. The sources also highlighted the request for the minister to accept a plea for a young man who is a relative of one of the martyrs who applied for the exams.
They expressed astonishment that the minister did not resort to the State Consultative Council to object at that time. They questioned the minister's claim of a violation in the current batch while wondering what his request to add 55 individuals to it would mean — would this step nullify the violation?
Furthermore, they discussed the army's request from the cabinet to raise the number of students to 173 officer candidates, which is the army's critical need, clarifying that this number does not need to be mandated. They noted the impossibility of opening an additional batch to avoid disparities in age and academic level among the officer candidates, which might affect their future military careers.
They added: Who guarantees that Christian students will enroll in the new batch? The sources pointed out that this year's high school exams have been conducted, and potentially some students could join a subsequent batch after the current one.
The sources concluded by reiterating that they await the efforts of the Minister of Culture, stating: "We do not approach the matter as a victory or defeat but are concerned about the interests of the military institution," according to "Al-Anbaa" Kuwaiti newspaper.
