KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION - IRANIAN REGIONAL INFLUENCE AND

UNCLAS KUWAIT 000972 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 - IRANIAN REGIONAL INFLUENCE AND PALESTINIAN VIOLENCE Block Quotes -------------- Sunday, June 24, 2007 -- Under the title "Message Received" Qais Al-Osta penned in progressive Arabic daily Al-Qabas about a Kuwaiti diplomat who was attacked and beaten last week outside the Kuwaiti Embassy in Tehran(06/24): "I think that the aggression on the Kuwaiti diplomat is a message to the Kuwaiti media and in particular to its columnists. This is because the Kuwaiti press has exposed the regime in Tehran for what it is and has inflicted losses on the Mullahs' regime, especially in the battle for Beirut." -- "The Policy of Hesitation and the Policy-Makers' Hesitation" was the title of Saud Al-Asfour's piece in moderate Arabic daily Al-Rai in which he contended (06/24): "For Iranian military forces to attack a Kuwaiti diplomat in Tehran and cordon off his embassy for hours only points to the confidence of those who gave the order. They were also obviously confident that Kuwait's reaction would be nothing more than condemnation." -- Mfarrej Al-Dosari commented in conservative Arabic daily Al-Watan under the title "Iran Embarrasses Its Friends and Its Representatives" (06/24): "The assault on the Kuwaiti diplomat and the cordoning off of his residence are messages to Kuwait that we must understand. The Persian government is telling us that this incident is but a taste of the price we will pay in the future." -- Under the title "The Real Face of the Brotherhood" Yousef Al-Mubaraki editorialized in progressive Arabic daily Al-Qabas (06/24): "The situation in the Palestinian territories demonstrates to all Arab countries that we are not safe. Such groups are but sleeper cells waiting for the right time to pounce and take over the regime." -- Moderate Islamist Dr. Ibrahim Al-Hadban wrote in moderate Arabic daily Al-Wasat under the title "Jimmy Carter Is Part of Hamas: Ban Him from Entering Your Territories" (06/24): "Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter knows the game and understands that the Bush Administration, which violates human rights, was mistaken when it penalized the Palestinian people and supported Fatah against Hamas." ********************************************* * 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