KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - AMERICAN MEDIA AND IRAQ

UNCLAS KUWAIT 000587 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 - AMERICAN MEDIA AND IRAQ Block Quotes -------------- Sunday, April 22, 2007 -- Under the title "Are Muslims Behind the Virginia Massacre?" conservative Islamist Dr. Wael Al-Hasawi commented in moderate Arabic daily Al-Rai (04/22): "I followed the news on the monstrous Virginia Tech attack carried out by a mentally-ill person from South Korea. I thanked God that for the first time the American media did not allude to terrorist attacks by Muslims." -- Under the title "Saddam's Billions Did Not Evaporate, They Are at Work" conservative Islamist Faisal Al-Zamil editorialized in moderate Arabic daily Al-Anbaa (04/22): "A report on Iraqi immigrants noted that some are very poor while others are lavishly rich. This is 'Baathist' money that is guarded by exposing or eliminating those who seek to unravel the system . . . This was Saddam's strategy, which has succeeded. He used the money to buy men, and those who refused were eliminated. Post-Saddam Iraq is being run exactly how Saddam Hussein wanted it to be run." ********************************************* * 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