NO TEARS SHED FOR MUGNIYAH IN KUWAIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000174 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/ARP AND NEA/ELA E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2018 TAGS: PTER KU SUBJECT: NO TEARS SHED FOR MUGNIYAH IN KUWAIT Classified By: CDA Misenheimer for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Kuwaiti opinion has long regarded Imad Mugniyah as a terrorist with Kuwaiti blood on his hands. Accordingly, Kuwaiti newspapers generally presented his February 13 assassination as, at best, a predictable end to a violent life. The GOK has not issued a statement, but FM Dr. Mohammad expects to be asked about the assassination during a scheduled news conference on February 16. His office director told CDA the FM will refer to Mugniyah as a terrorist whose acts of mass murder have no legitimacy, and stress that terrorism will not contribute to solving challenges facing the region. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Kuwaiti newspapers largely hailed the February 13 assassination of HEZBOLLAH terrorist leader Imad Mugniyah, portraying his death as a victory over terrorism. Kuwaitis blame Mugniyah for the hijacking of two Kuwait Airlines aircraft, flight 221 in 1983 and flight 422 in 1988, the latter resulting in the torture and murder of two Kuwaiti citizens. Mugniyah is believed to have ordered the hijackings in an attempt to secure the release of the Al-Dawa 17 terrorist cell, which was responsible for a string of terrorist attacks in Kuwait in the early 1980s, including the bombing of Embassy Kuwait. The GOK had convicted and imprisoned the Al-Dawa 17 members and was adamant in its refusal to release them. One of the Al-Dawa 17, Moustafa Yousef Badreddin, was reportedly Mugniyah's brother-in-law and cousin. ¶3. (C) Mugniyah's assassination received front-page coverage in all of Kuwait's daily newspapers. Al-Rai newspaper described Mugniyah as a criminal and a terrorist who received the punishment he deserved. The Kuwait Times recapped Mugniyah's hijackings of the Kuwait Airlines flights, noting that more than half the population of Kuwait is under the age of 25 and "it is important to remind ourselves of the violent incidents of the 1980s which have a Mugniyah connection." Only the Arabic daily Al Anbaa remained impartial in its coverage of Mugniyah's assassination, solely presenting facts taken from the wire services. (Note: Al Anbaa's managing editor is a Lebanese Shiite who typically reports views sympathetic to Hezbollah. End note.) ¶4. (C) CDA contacted FM Dr. Mohammad,s office director, Shaykh Ahmed Nasser Al Sabah, on February 14 to discuss how the GOK plans to respond to Mugniyah,s assassination. Shaykh Ahmed said the GOK would not/not issue a statement, but the FM expects to be asked about the issue during a press conference scheduled for February 16 - just before departure for Argentina. Dr. Mohammad will thus be prepared to comment in response to questions. Shaykh Ahmed asked if the USG had advice in this regard. CDA reviewed the Department's February 13 statement and recommended that the FM echo the sentiment of that statement to the maximum possible extent. In particular, the FM should stress that Mugniyah,s terrorist crimes should not be accorded legitimacy as "acts of resistance" or the like. Shaykh Ahmed welcomed the suggestion, noting that the Department's statement closely reflected the GOK view. He said he would carefully review the Department's statement again, and that he expected the FM to stress Mugniyah,s acts of mass murder, including against Kuwaitis, and reiterate the GOK,s view that acts of terrorism lack legitimacy and will not contribute to solving any of the challenges facing the region. ********************************************* * 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/ ********************************************* * MISENHEIMER