KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - LEBANON, IRAN, AND IRAQ

UNCLAS KUWAIT 004564 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: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - LEBANON, IRAN, AND IRAQ Block Quotes -------------- Monday, December 04 , 2006 -- Under the title "And Change Began in Lebanon" Radical Shiite anti-U.S. former MP Dr. Abdul Mohsen Jamal penned in progressive Arabic daily Al-Qabas (12/04): "The funniest comment on the current events in Lebanon came from the U.S. Assistant Official Spokesman for the Department of State who stated 'the threat to use force and scare tactics is not considered a democratic or constitutional mechanism for changing governments.'" -- Radical Shiite anti-U.S. Dr. Sami Nasser Khalifa commented in moderate Arabic daily Al-Rai under the title "The Government Fell Even If It Remained" (12/04): "Where is the value and legitimacy of the government if it is rejected by the people? What is the value of its decisions if they conflict with the spirit of accord embodied in the Lebanese constitution? What is the use of this government -- labeled as hostage to the orders of the American Ambassador to Lebanon -- when it remains besieged in the Council of Ministers building?" -- "The Great Satan and the Small Satan" was the title of Mfarreh Salem Al-Dosari's piece in conservative Arabic daily Al-Watan in which he held that (12/04): "Iran labels the United States as the Greater Satan, meaning that there is a smaller Satan that is jealous over the hegemony by the Greater Satan.... The reality of the present rulers of Iran is not so different from that of their predecessors in terms of show of power, dissemination of slogans and interference in the affairs of others." -- Under the title "Gulf States and the Iraqi Conflict" liberal Kuwait University Political Science Professor, Dr. Shamlan Yousef Al-Issa editorialized in pro-government daily Al-Seyassah (12/04): "The 27th GCC Summit will be held at a time unprecedented warnings that the region will witness civil wars in Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine. It is not in the interest of the Gulf to support the Arab Sunnis in Iraq against the Arab Shiites there." ********************************************* * 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