Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03KUWAIT3604
2003-08-06 10:14:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:  

KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION, AUGUST 2-4: ANNIVERSARY OF

Tags:  KU KDMR 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 003604 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INR/R/MR, NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, PA, INR/NESA,
IIP/G/NEA-SA, INR/B
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH, PARIS FOR O'FRIEL
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA
CINCCENT FOR CCPA
USDOC FOR 4520/ANESA/ONE/FITZGERALD-WILKS
USDOC FOR ITA AND PTO/OLIA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KU KDMR
SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION, AUGUST 2-4: ANNIVERSARY OF
IRAQI INVASION; GUANTANAMO DETAINEES; 9/11 REPORT; AMERICAN
AMBASSADOR TO KUWAIT

REF: Kuwait 03267

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 003604

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INR/R/MR, NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, PA, INR/NESA,
IIP/G/NEA-SA, INR/B
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH, PARIS FOR O'FRIEL
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA
CINCCENT FOR CCPA
USDOC FOR 4520/ANESA/ONE/FITZGERALD-WILKS
USDOC FOR ITA AND PTO/OLIA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KU KDMR
SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION, AUGUST 2-4: ANNIVERSARY OF
IRAQI INVASION; GUANTANAMO DETAINEES; 9/11 REPORT; AMERICAN
AMBASSADOR TO KUWAIT

REF: Kuwait 03267


1. SUMMARY: Some commentators see the August 2 anniversary
of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait as a reminder of Iraqi
reparations still due to Kuwait and the POWs still
unaccounted for, while others evince a desire to move
forward with reforms and national development now that this
external threat has been lifted.

All newspapers report a statement by the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Al-Sabah that the U.S. and
Kuwait are holding talks on Kuwaiti detainees at Guantanamo
Bay. One Islamist commentator demands greater government
efforts to win the release of the detainees. Another
Islamist sees "Zionist lobbyists" as behind the 9/11 report
that reflects an "American campaign against Saudi Arabia."

A conservative writer directs another in a series of
critical comments (reftel) against American Ambassador to
Kuwait Richard H. Jones, accusing the Ambassador of
"unjustifiable interference in our affairs in a repugnant
and provoking manner" through the Ambassador's attendance at
local social events and his newspaper interviews. END
SUMMARY.


2. News Stories: All newspapers report on August 4
statements by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Dr.
Mohammad Al-Sabah that Kuwait and the US are holding talks
regarding the Kuwaiti detainees held at Guantanamo Bay.

Al-Anba reports on August 3 that "a number" of RPGs were
fired from the Iraqi side of the border into Kuwait. No
casualties were reported. Al-Anba also reports that eight
"spies" have been arrested in recent days as the result of
intelligence gained from captured Iraqi documents.

On August 4, all newspapers report that the remains of two
more Kuwaiti POWs found in Iraq have been identified. All
papers also report that a team will begin searching for
remains of Kuwaiti POWs that may have been buried in Kuwait
during the Iraqi occupation of 1990-91.

Al-Seyassah reports that Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-
Ahmad has asked the Minister of Interior to prepare a list
of "bedoons" (stateless residents in Kuwait) that should be
considered for naturalization.

The President of Kuwait University, Dr. Nader Al-Jallal,

states that the university is on the way to fully
implementing gender segregation in all its colleges, Al-
Qabas reports.

Editorials:


3. "August 2, 1990 is Like No Other Date"
Editor-in-chief of independent Al-Rai Al-Aam, Jassim Boodai,
opined (8/2): "August 2, 1990 was a day that changed the
lives of Kuwaitis and caused an earthquake in the region.
This has changed since April 9, 2003, because Iraqis are
living a different life now. As for Kuwait, our priorities
must also change. We demand to put an end to our political,
economical and psychological suffering because it is not
appropriate any longer to hold on to our obsession with
security to the detriment of other issues. We should benefit
from the fall of Saddam by launching major political reforms
that could lead Kuwait to assume a high role in
international relations."


4. "This Memory is Behind Us"
Editor-in-chief of independent Al-Qabas, Waleed Al-Nesf,
opined (8/2): "For the first time ever, August 2, 1990 is
behind us. Nevertheless, we still have many lessons to
learn, and most of our problems have not yet been solved.
Now that the Iraqi regime has ended, we have to turn a new
page by focusing on our economic development and other
important issues.

5. "In Order Not to Forget"
Editor-in-chief of independent Al-Anba, Bibi Al-Marzouk
opined (8/2): "We will not forget [the Iraqi invasion of
1990] because our demands are still on the table, awaiting
an Iraqi government. We will only forget if the Iraqis begin
to recognize our borders and sovereignty. We demand a change
in their educational curricula because Iraqi students still
believe that Kuwait is part of Iraq. We will only forget if
they fully compensate us [through reparations as a result of
the invasion] because this is our right. We will only forget
once we know the fate of our POWs. We will only forget when
the Iraqi government apologizes for the crimes committed
against us. Once all these terms have been met, then we will
forget."


6. Conservative Dr. Sami Khalifa wrote in independent Al-
Rai Al-Aam (8/2): "I am astonished at the American
Ambassador who intervenes in our internal affairs by
ignoring all diplomatic norms and traditions which he should
respect. He does not miss an opportunity to participate in a
press interview, diwaniya calls, cultural forums, or social
events and unjustifiably interfere in a repugnant and
provoking manner. Will the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have
a word with this Ambassador?"


7. "[National Assembly Speaker] Al-Kharafi Exploded in the
Face of Americans"
Islamist Mohammad Al-Awadi wrote in independent Al-Rai Al-
Aam (8/2): "Not too long ago, the government unjustifiably
retracted its efforts to demand the return of our detainees
from Guantanamo despite Kuwait's role in supporting the
Americans in the war to liberate Iraq. Kuwait opened its air
space and its land, and exposed itself to many dangers for
the America forces as a result. The Kuwaiti government must
exploit this situation by demanding from Washington the
release of our detainees in Guantanamo."


8. "The Secret Behind the Attack on Saudi Arabia"
Islamist Dr. Wael Al-Hasawi wrote in independent Al-Rai Al-
Aam (7/31): "I do not know the reason for the American
campaign against Saudi Arabia and I do not know on what
grounds reports are being published alleging the Kingdom's
involvement in the September 11 attacks. Reason and logic
indicates that it would be impossible for Saudi Arabia to
hurt the US. Moreover, the Saudi-American relationship has
been strong since the establishment of the kingdom. I don't
have an answer, except to look to the Zionist lobby which
controls State Department policy and thinks differently from
how sensible Americans think."


9. "Is America Going to Stay in the Gulf?"
Dr. Hisham Al-Awadi wrote in independent Al-Watan (8/1):
"[T]he absence of Saddam and the achievement of stability in
Iraq my raise complicated questions over the future of the
American existence in the region. Iraqis have raised these
questions openly, while the people of the Gulf are asking
the same questions secretly. The justification for an
American presence is gradually disappearing. Unless the US
justifies its presence in the region, one can expect this
part of the world to enter into a new period of security
tensions."

JONES