SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: US AND IRAQ

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 001565 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA; INR/B; RRU-NEA IIP/G/NEA-SA WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC SECDEF FOR OASD/PA USCINCCENT FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC SUBJECT: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: US AND IRAQ ¶1. SUMMARY: An editorial in "Al-Khaleej" suggests that the objectives of America's war in Iraq will not be satisfied until the country is divided, its oil put under U.S. control and the entire region disrupted. A Kuwaiti writer in "Al-Ittihad" urges Gulf States to unite against what may happen in Iraq and Iran and not to remain mere spectators waiting for America to take a position. A Kuwaiti intellectual in "Al-Ittihad" believes that the Bush Administration's dependence on weak players who cannot bring peace, stability or national reconciliation to their people is a clear sign that it is a lame duck. End Summary. ¶2. Under the headline "Objectives not yet realized", the editorial in Sharjah-based Arabic daily "Al-Khaleej" (circulation 90,000) 09/16 read: "President Bush wants an endless war. His war's objectives never focused at weapons of mass destruction, Iraq's relationship with Al-Qaeda or spreading democracy. His objectives were to divide Iraq into factional and ethnic entities, control Iraqi oil, establish permanent military bases to threaten Iraq's neighbors, and continue disrupting countries of the region. Bush is committed to the neoconservative agenda; even though most of them have left the scene, their influence will continue to serve Israeli interests." ¶3. Under the headline "What about our vision for the future of Iraq", Kuwaiti writer, Dr. Shamlan Yousef Al-Eissa, wrote on 09/16 in Abu Dhabi-based Arabic semi-official daily "Al-Ittihad" (circulation 65,000): "Will the Iraqi security forces -- the army, police and state intelligence -- be able to assume their responsibilities if U.S. occupation forces leave? American security reports indicate that army forces are in a better position than Interior Ministry forces because the latter have been infiltrated by Iraqi Shiite militias influenced by Iran. The Kuwaiti cabinet discussed the security situation on the Iraq-Kuwait border and concerns arising from the British military withdrawal, which may create political and security problems in Kuwait. Kuwait fears security problems on its borders because the Iraqi side of the border is at the mercy of militias such as the "Badr Brigades" and "Al-Mahdi Army", each with its own agenda." "The Gulf States, in our view, have failed to support Iraqi refugees, most of whom have fled to Iran, Syria, and Jordan, and others to the Gulf, Europe and the United States. We understand that the Gulf States fear a collapse in Iraq; sadly, they have been mere spectators, doing nothing but waiting for America to take a position. The time has come to unite against what might happen to Iraq or Iran." ¶4. Under the headline "Washington's allies and the season of the lame Duck", a Kuwaiti intellectual, Dr. Abdullah Khalifa Al-Shayegi, wrote a 09/17 op-ed "Al-Ittihad" "Following the assassination of the Iraqi Sunni Sheikh Abu Risha, it is apparent that U.S. strategy in the Middle East depends heavily on weak or cornered players who cannot bring peace, stability or national reconciliation. It [the assassination] is a message from Al-Qaeda that anyone who collaborates with President Bush will face the same destiny. It seems that the Bush Administration has already started its lame duck season." QUINN