RAFSANJANI VISITS KUWAIT: LOCAL PRESS NOT IMPRESSED

UNCLAS KUWAIT 001319 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PARM KU IR SUBJECT: RAFSANJANI VISITS KUWAIT: LOCAL PRESS NOT IMPRESSED ¶1. (U) Former Iranian President Rafsanjani arrived in Kuwait April 16 for a two-day visit. According to the press, his trip is meant to ease regional fears about Iran's nuclear program. Rafsanjani will reportedly meet with the Amir, Prime Minister Shaykh Nasser Mohammed Al-Sabah, and Speaker of Parliament Jassem Al-Khorafi. Post will report septel on the substance of his visit. ¶2. (U) The Rafsanjani visit has garnered front page coverage in both the English and Arabic press, with columnists expressing fear about the nuclear threat to Kuwait: -- Under the headline, "Welcome Rafsanjani, but," Arabic-language Al-Qabas stated, "Our position on the Iranian nuclear program is closer to Tehran than Washington," bringing Israel's nuclear program and the Israeli-Palestinian dispute into the equation. Nonetheless, like other editorials, Al-Qabas voiced concern that Iran put Kuwait "on the front line of confrontation" and threatened to close the Straits of Hormuz and bomb Gulf countries. The paper urged GCC countries to jointly press Iran on relocating the Bushehr reactor, absorbing a portion of the moving expenses if necessary. -- Ahmad Jarallah, Editor-in-Chief of the English-language daily Arab Times, wrote a blistering front-page column on April 17 lambasting Iran's nuclear machinations. He called the regime a "recalcitrant adolescent," positing that the regime is trying to foster conflicts to "fuel the engines of revolution." He went on to express concern that Iran has ambitions to "impose its military might on the region," since it is pushing it to the "edge of a war" rather than negotiating. He mentioned Iran's territorial disputes with the UAE, and its exacerbating of tensions in Iraq. He also said Iran's behavior will push GCC countries to strengthen their ties with "their superpower allies." Finally, he stated that Iran would hear "plain speaking" in Kuwait leadership, although this may have been more of an appeal than a prediction. -- Badrya Darwish wrote April 17 in the English-language Kuwait Times that the main victims of an Iran-U.S. confrontation would be the Gulf States. She noted that Iran will "hit all American interests in the region. That means that the battlefield won't be New York or Tel Aviv but Manama, Doha and Kuwait City." She conjectured that Israel's distance would save it from the damage that would affect the Arab Gulf states. She continued that she does not oppose a nuclear Iran in principle because she is happy that an enemy of Israel will be nuclear-armed. Thus her arguments are based on the potential side effects of a war or an accident rather than fears of Iranian domination of the Gulf. -- Arabic daily Al-Seyassah took a strong position, writing "Iran threatens the interests of the region." The paper said if Iran was serious about promoting peace, the GOI would solve its territorial dispute with the UAE and address how to put an end to the violence in Iraq. ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * LEBARON