KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - LEBANON AND ISLAMIC EXTREMISM

UNCLAS KUWAIT 000868 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 AND ISLAMIC EXTREMISM Block Quotes -------------- Sunday, June 03, 2007 -- Under the title "The International Tribunal, a Victory for Lebanon" liberal Dr. Shafeeq Al-Ghabra commented in moderate Arabic daily Al-Rai (06/03): "The International Tribunal according to Chapter 7 of the United Nations charter is one of the most important resolutions passed by the UN in the Middle East for years." -- Liberal Mohammed Musaed Al-Saleh penned in progressive Arabic daily Al-Qabas under the title "Al-Qaeda's Budget" (06/03): "Who funds activities of Al-Qaeda? Some claim that Osama bin Laden, being a millionaire, finances Al-Qaeda and its offshoots. No matter the size of his fortune, even if he was amongst the world's 100 wealthiest, he cannot finance the activities, its branches, and the intelligence apparatuses that have proved more effective than any national intelligence service." --"Islamists and the Experience of Violence" was the title of Conservative Islamist MP Dr. Walid Al-Tabtabaei's piece in conservative Arabic daily Al-Watan in which he editorialized (06/03): "The random acts of violence and bombings carried out by groups that are supposed to be Islamic, such as those linked to Al-Qaeda in Algiers, Morocco, and Iraq lack specific targets. These acts kill more innocents than the intended target and are completely void of clear political objectives. They are also void of wisdom, logic, precise timing, or actual targets." ********************************************* * 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