TFLE01: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - LEBANON

UNCLAS KUWAIT 003135 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 LONDON FOR TSOU PARIS FOR ZEYA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO XF KU MEDIA REACTION SUBJECT: TFLE01: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - LEBANON Block Quotes -------------- Saturday, August 5, 2006 -- "To My Lebanese Friends" wrote Ahmed Al-Saraf in progressive Arabic daily Al-Qabas (8/5): "Lebanese Christians can no longer consider the south Lebanese to be inferior as they have proven their ability to do what many could not conceive [fighting Israel].... Lebanon needs to redistribute its wealth and services to all of its areas equally. The politicians need to stop treating Lebanon as if it were theirs, their sect's, or their the turf of their religion. The opportunity is upon us; will you take it or continue with your sectarian struggles?" -- "Who Will Protect the Zionists?" by Dr. Abdul Mohsen Yousef Jamal appeared in the progressive Arabic daily Al-Qabas (8/5): "Arabs and Muslims must now not aid the American administration in making Arabs the protectors of the Zionist entity or making them fight Hezbollah. People are still talking about how this war could have been premeditated. The Lebanese people, their leadership and Hezbollah will not accept Arabs being used in that manner . . ." -- "The War in Lebanon, Where To?" was the title of Political Science professor Dr. Shafiq Nazem Al-Ghabra's piece in the moderate Arabic daily Al-Rai Al-Aam (8/5): "The war has proven Israel's inability to destroy the military structure and fighting abilities of Hezbollah. At the same time, Hezbollah has demonstrated a capability to remain in the ring. Hezbollah has won and lost in this war. It has won through the growth of its popularity among the Arab peoples. It has lost because this war will not end without the presence of an international force on the border and the implementation of UN Security Council resolution calling for the Lebanese Army to control its borders." -- "Hezbollah Flags Raised in Kuwait" by Marzouq Flaij Al-Harbi appeared in the moderate Arabic daily Al-Watan (8/5): "Those who have raised Hezbollah's flags here in Kuwait forgot that it is the same organization that carried out terrorist attacks here in Kuwait in the mid-1980s. Hezbollah hijacked planes, blew up cafes and committed other acts as a result of its violence on behalf of a regional power. It is doing the same thing in Lebanon, and all of Lebanon is paying the price." -- "Israel Is Weak, But Arrogant" is the title of Mishal Al-Nami's article in the pro-government daily Al-Seyassah (8/5): "The Lebanese war proved that Israel is militarily weak and could not achieve any military success. It failed to hold on to the three villages it occupied in southern Lebanon and cannot find a solution to the missiles of the Lebanese resistance. It also cannot obtain an accurate count of the number of Lebanese resistance fighters killed, nor even estimate them. This means that its intelligence is weak, like its army. This despite the fact that it was given a green light to kill any Lebanese without differentiating whether they are children or seniors." ********************************************* * 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