SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: PRIME MINISTER SHAYKH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 003038

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KPAO PREL KU
SUBJECT: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: PRIME MINISTER SHAYKH
SABAH AL-AHMED AL-SABAH'S VISIT TO THE U.S.


1. Summary: The exhaustively covered and widely hailed
visit of Kuwaiti Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-
Jaber Al-Sabah to Washington DC sparked many columnists to
examine the state of Kuwait-U.S. relations. While some
commentators noted recent bilateral points of contention,
such as trafficking in persons, intellectual property
rights protection, and student visa issuance, the overall
verdict was that the state of the bilateral relationship is
strong. Columnist Dr. Zuhair Al-Abbad, advisor to the
Ministry of Information, wrote in Al-Seyassah, "The Kuwait-
U.S. relations are distinguished, old and robust." End
Summary.


2. Writing in pro-government daily Al-Anba July 4, Sami Al-
Nesf, media advisor to the prime minister, wrote: "The
friendly atmosphere and the warm welcome that Kuwait's
Prime Minister received from President Bush, Vice President
Cheney, Secretary Rice, members of the U.S. Congress, and
other dignitaries was an indication of the strong ties that
link Kuwait to the United States.

The friendly and warm welcome of Kuwait's delegation by the
U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Rice was obvious. She thanked
Kuwait and the Kuwaiti government for their courageous
stances in support of international decisions. She also
congratulated Kuwaiti women on their recent political
achievement. Secretary Rice noted that Kuwait has a long
tradition of democracy and she applauded Kuwait's journey
towards reform and full democracy.

In regards to domestic laborers and intellectual property
rights, Kuwait explained its official commitment to achieve
positive changes on these fronts. It was also noted that
these issue are not exclusive to Kuwait, but rather they
are common problems that exist in every country.


3. Writing in Al-Anba on July 4, Walid Awaid wrote: "We
were very pleased to hear what the Chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, Richard Lugar, said after his
meeting with Kuwait's P.M. Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed regarding
the difficulties that face our Kuwaiti students to get
visas to the U.S. The promises were encouraging, and we
remain optimistic that further efforts would be exerted to
relax the process, and make visas to Kuwaiti students more
attainable.

Nobody can deny the U.S. the right to defend its borders
against possible aggressors. All we are saying is that
security measures must be effective while at the same time
they must not be a burden to those who want to go to the
U.S. for all the right reasons."


4. Writing in pro-government daily Al-Seyassah on July 4,
Dr. Zuhair Al-Abbad, advisor to the Ministry of
Information, wrote: "The Kuwait-U.S. relations are
distinguished, old and robust. Such relations date back to
the reign of the former Amir of Kuwait, the late Shaykh
Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. This means the relations between
the two countries began even prior to the oil era, Kuwait's
independence, and prior to Kuwait's representation in the
UN . During the reign of all of the Amirs of Kuwait,
including Shaykh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti-U.S.
relations improved and this can be perceived through a firm
stance adopted by the U.S. while dealing with the notorious
Iraqi invasion and occupation of Kuwait by the defunct
regime of Saddam Hussein."


5. Writing in independent daily Al-Rai Al-Aam on July 4,
Chancellor of the American University of Kuwait Dr. Shafiq
Al-Ghabra wrote: "The Kuwaiti Prime Minister's visit to
Washington comes in the context of a long history of
bilateral relations between the two countries . the pact
concluded in 1991 between Kuwait and the United States
following the liberation of Kuwait represented a turning
point in Kuwait's relations with the U.S.

Meanwhile, Kuwait's decision to support the U.S. in its
efforts to oust Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003 injected a
new life in the relations between the two countries, given
the fact that during the Anglo-U.S. war on Iraq, Kuwait
allowed its territories to be used as a launch pad during
the war. This happened when some countries in the region
such as Turkey refused to allow the U.S. to use its space
and Kuwait's decision to fill that role resulted in the
U.S. considering Kuwait a strategic non-NATO ally.


6. Writing in Al-Watan on July 6, Abdullah Al-Shayji wrote:
"The warm welcome of Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed by President
Bush and members of the U.S. administration, including
members of the U.S. Congress, has strengthened the solid
and core strategic and geopolitical partnership between the
US and Kuwait . Kuwait is a special case of strategic
alliance for the U.S. As former Secretary Powell put it,
'The relationship with Kuwait is indispensable.' This visit
has great implications, and I will write more on the
subject in future articles."


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