KUWAITIS WELCOME MECCA AGREEMENT, CONDEMN AL-AQSA

UNCLAS KUWAIT 000217 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAL IS KU SUBJECT: KUWAITIS WELCOME MECCA AGREEMENT, CONDEMN AL-AQSA EXCAVATION REF: 06 KUWAIT 661 Sensitive But Unclassified; not for Internet distribution. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Kuwaitis welcomed news of the agreement between Fatah and Hamas in Mecca and praised Saudi Arabia for hosting the reconciliation meeting. In a February 11 statement, the Council of Ministers hailed the agreement as "a step in the right direction" and praised Saudi King Abdullah for mediating between the two parties. In a related development, Kuwaitis strongly protested the Israeli excavation near the Al-Aqsa mosque. Six political associations co-hosted a rally February 12 during which attendees chanted "Death to America, Death to Israel" and carried placards reading "America is a State Sponsor of Terror, Boycott American Goods." Conservative Shi'a MP Adnan Abdul Samad spoke at the rally and called on "Palestinian political parties to stop fighting each other and direct their weapons against our enemies, America and Israel," according to local press. The Deputy Head of the Ummah Party, a hard-line Salafi political association, told the protesters "armed resistance is the only way to get our right from Israel and America." End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Kuwaitis from across the political spectrum welcomed the Fatah-Hamas agreement reached in Mecca and praised Saudi Arabia for mediating between the two parties. Seven political associations - the Salafi Islamic Grouping (SIG),the Islamic National Consensus Movement (INCM - moderate Shi'a),the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM - Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood),the Ummah Party (hard-line Salafi),the Kuwait Democratic Forum (KDF - liberal),the National Islamic Alliance (NIA - hard-line Shi'a),and the Salafi Movement - issued a joint statement February 11 urging Palestinian factions, particularly Fatah and Hamas, to "give precedence to the public interest over short-term political gains...and seriously seek to ensure the success of the Mecca Agreement, which would help support the national unity." Several local Islamic charities, including the Social Reform Society (SRS) and the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS),similarly praised the agreement and urged unity between Fatah and "the Hamas mujahideen." ¶3. (SBU) The Council of Ministers issued a statement after its February 11 session welcoming the Mecca Agreement as "a positive step in the right direction." The Council also praised Saudi King Abdullah for his "pioneering role and honest efforts" in brokering the agreement. Strong Condemnation of Al-Aqsa Excavation -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Six political associations - the ICM, NIA, the Ummah Party, the Salafi Movement, the Peace and Justice Gathering (moderate Shi'a),and the National Charter Grouping (moderate Shi'a) - co-sponsored a rally February 12 to protest an Israeli excavation near the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. According to local media reports, around 200 people attended the rally. Protesters carried placards reading, "The Martyrs of Jerusalem are Evidence of American and Zionist Terror" and "America is a State Sponsor of Terror, Boycott American Goods," and shouted slogans such as "Death to Israel, Death to America" and "No Sunni, No Shiite, Islamic Unity." ¶5. (SBU) Representatives from several of the political associations spoke at the event, including ICM MP Dr. Nasser Al-Sane, NIA MP Adnan Abdul Samad, and Dr. Awad Al-Zafiri, the Deputy Head of the Ummah Party. Samad called on "Palestinian political parties to stop fighting each other and direct their weapons against our enemies, America and Israel," local press reported. Al-Zafiri delivered a similar message, saying "armed resistance is the only way to get our right from Israel and America." Al-Sane was less provocative, urging Arabs and Muslims to support the Palestinians, but stopping short of calling for armed resistance against the Israelis. Several speakers condemned Egypt and Jordan for maintaining diplomatic relations with Israel, and criticized several Gulf countries for hosting Israeli commercial interest sections. ********************************************* * 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