KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - ZARQAWI'S DEMISE

UNCLAS KUWAIT 002194 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, NEA/PI, INR/NESA, R/MR, I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN LONDON FOR TSOU PARIS FOR ZEYA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR PTER KDEM PGOV IZ KU TERRORISM SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - ZARQAWI'S DEMISE Block Quotes -------------- Friday, June 9, 2006 -- Salafi Islamist and former MP Dr. Walid Al-Tabtabaei stated in moderate Arabic daily Al-Watan "Zarqawi has been murdered and many Zarqawis remain" (6/9): "If the Zarqawi being pursued and hunted by the Coalition Forces and Iraqi Government has been killed, there are many other Zarqawis who practice sectarian killings on a wide scale, but they are not hunted or wanted. They work under the umbrella of official Iraqi authority, wearing its military uniforms, and go through American and British checkpoints without being stopped. Not only that--some of those Zarqawis have worked as ministers in the Iraqi government." Saturday, June 10, 2006 -- Writer and researcher Bandar Ayed Al-Zafiri questioned in the pro-government Arabic daily Al-Seyassah under the title "Zarqawi's Death Points to a New Era" (6/10): "Many events accompanied Zarqawi's death that point to the fact that he may not have been killed on the day that it was announced. First, there was the Jordanian king's visit to Saudi two days ago. Second, there was the secret visit by the Qatari Amir to Syria, following the announcement SIPDIS of the arrest of a group of Syrians accused of sabotage. Third, we have the conclusion of Brammertz's report that will be announced soon. Fourth, there seems to be a positive understanding between Iran and America. Fifth, there is pan-Gulf insistence on solving the Iranian issue diplomatically. Sixth, there is the naming of Iraq's Minister of Interior and Minister of Defense. And, seventh, we have talk of intelligence cooperation with the Jordanians. All these events occurred before or at the same time as Zarqawi's death, is there a thin line tying them together?" -- Former Media Advisor to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sami Abdul Latif Al-Nesf inquires in the moderate Arabic daily Al-Anbaa under the title "Deciphering Zarqawi's Code" (6/10): "Ahmed Fudail Nazal Al-Khlailah (Zarqawi) can be named the king of disguise and mystery. The photograph of him dead posed many questions that attempt to decipher the code of his life and his repeated disappearances as did the image of Mary Magdalene in Da Vinci's painting. He went to Afghanistan in 1989 to fight the Russians; he did not know that they were gone. He disappeared there for four years. Then, in 1993, he left when civil war broke out among the Mujahidin. He entered Iraq in 2003 and disappeared. He began his work in Iraq through cooperation with Saddam's Baathist intelligence services to destroy the country and ignite civil war. He brazenly claimed responsibility for the assassination of Mohamed Baqir Al-Hakim and followed that with hundreds of explosions in public places.... The members of the family with which Noury Al-Saeed took refuge reported him to authorities within minutes for a 10,000 Iraqi dinar reward. No one successfully reported Zarqawi's whereabouts despite a reward equivalent to 375 billion Iraqi dinars." -- Dr. Ayed Al-Manaa stated in moderate Arabic daily Al-Watan under the title "He who kills shall be killed" (6/10): "A criminal is one who transgresses on the lives, honor, dignity, and humanity of others unjustly.... [As opposed to a martyr,] Zarqawi is that type of person--those to whom human life meant nothing. Their interpretations do not matter as no one, including himself, denies the crimes he has committed against hundreds of innocent people.... Zarqawi's demise will not end terrorist activities, however, without a doubt, it has damaged their morale." ********************************************* * 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/ ********************************************* * TUELLER