KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - IRAN

UNCLAS KUWAIT 000237 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 - IRAN Block Quotes -------------- Monday, February 19, 2007 -- Liberal pro-government Ambassador Abdulla Bishara penned in conservative Arabic daily Al-Watan under the title "The Art of Political Marketing During 'Hala February' [a yearly Kuwaiti street festival]" (02/19): "Iran must join the side of the light in the ideological struggle between those seeking to develop and those seeking a halt in progress. Iran's role in this struggle is vital and influential.... We hope Iran will have the desire to join the club of moderation and development in its march towards democracy." -- Under the title "The Iraqi Phonograph" Abdul Rahman Al-Fares wrote in conservative Arabic daily Al-Watan (02/19): "We do not want to patronize anyone, but we seek only a word from some of our Iraqi brothers. We want them to turn a new page in the relationship with their Kuwaiti brothers. In the end, we are all brothers in Islam. We are Arabs. We are neighbors." -- Under the title "Honest Advice to Iran" columnist Nasser Al-Otaibi editorialized in pro-government daily Al-Seyassah (02/19): "The Iranian escalation in Iraq, the Gulf region, and the Middle East as a whole warns of a catastrophe on the Iranian people and on indeed on the entire region.... Iran must reconsider its position and its policies. In particular, it must reconsider its intervention in Iraq, which is currently experiencing a sectarian war as a result of this intervention by its neighbor Iran." ********************************************* * 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