SADDAM'S THREAT HELPS PULL KUWAITIS TOGETHER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 04144

ALSO FOR POLAD
JERUSALEM FOR LEAF
USIA FOR NEA

E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS KU IZ
SUBJECT: SADDAM'S THREAT HELPS PULL KUWAITIS TOGETHER

REFS: (A) FBIS LD2007205690 (NOTAL),
- (B) 89 KUWAIT 6293 (NOTAL)
- (C) TUNIS 7242 (NOTAL)



1. (C) SUMMARY. IRAQI THREATS HAVE HAD THE EFFECT OF
UNIFYING SOME KUWAITI LEFTISTS AND POLITICAL OPPOSITION
SUPPORTERS BEHIND THE GOK. THE LEFTIST KUWAIT TRADE
UNION FEDERATION (KTUF),IN A JULY 20 STATEMENT,
DENOUNCED IRAQI ALLEGATIONS AS TANTAMOUNT TO A DIRECT
MILITARY ACTION AGAINST KUWAIT AND CALLED FOR DIALOGUE
BETWEEN IRAQ AND KUWAIT. DR. AHMED AL-RUBIE, A LEADING
"GROUP OF 32" POLITICAL OPPOSITION MEMBER KNOWN FOR HIS
MARXIST BELIEFS AND ANTI-GOVERNMENT RHETORIC,
EDITORIALIZED IN AL-WATAN JULY 21 THAT, WHEN IT COMES TO
THE ISSUE OF KUWAIT'S NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY, "PEOPLE ARE
NOT DIVIDED BETWEEN RULERS AND RULED, BUT WOULD RATHER
MANIFEST A UNIFIED NATIONAL KUWAITI UNANIMITY." END
SUMMARY.


2. (U) IN A JULY 20 STATEMENT CARRIED BY THE KUWAIT
STATE NEWS AGENCY (KUNA) AND REF A FBIS REPORT, THE
KUWAIT TRADE UNION FEDERATION (KTUF) DENOUNCED IRAQI
ALLEGATIONS AGAINST KUWAIT AS "TANTAMOUNT TO DIRECT
MILITARY ACTION." THE STATEMENT ASSERTED, "WE ARE NOT
HERE TO RECALL EITHER THE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE EXTENDED
BY KUWAIT OR THE SACRIFICES INCURRED BY THE KUWAITI
PEOPLE BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THIS IS OUR NATIONAL
OBLIGATION AND WE REFRAIN FROM REMINDING BROTHERS OF
WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR THEM." THE KTUF CALLED FOR
"SINCERE" DIALOGUE ON OIL ISSUES AND DEMARCATION AND
QUESTIONED WHY IRAQ HAD SETTLED BORDER ISSUES WITH
JORDAN AND SAUDI ARABIA DURING THE GULF WAR, BUT NOT
WITH KUWAIT. THE STATEMENT CONCLUDED WITH A CALL TO
"JOIN FORCES AGAINST OUR COMMON ENEMY. LET ALL GUNS AND
MISSILES BE AIMED AT THOSE WHO KILL PALESTINIAN
CHILDREN."


3. (U) KUWAIT UNIVERSITY PHILOSOPHY PROFESSOR DR.
AHMED AL-RUBIE, IN A JULY 21 AL-WATAN (ARABIC, LEFTIST)
EDITORIAL, WROTE: "IRAQ KNOWS THAT THE PROBLEM WHICH IT
RAISED HAS TO DO WITH THE NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY OF
KUWAIT. IN SUCH ISSUES, PEOPLE ARE NOT DIVIDED BETWEEN
RULERS AND RULED, BUT WOULD RATHER MANIFEST A UNIFIED
NATIONAL KUWAITI UNANIMITY. IF WE BELIEVE IN UNITY AS
AN ARAB DESTINY, IT IS NECESSARY THAT WE BEHAVE
EQUITABLY, FOR THERE IS NO SMALL ARAB AND NO BIG ARAB OR
STRONG ARAB AND WEAK ARAB. ALSO, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND
THAT NOBODY CAN REALIZE HIS INTERESTS AT THE EXPENSE OF
OTHERS."


4. (C) COMMENT. BOTH THE KTUF AND AL-RUBIE, WHO IS
CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE KTUF, ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR
ANTI-GOVERNMENT, LEFTIST RHETORIC (REF B). THE
HARVARD-EDUCATED AL-RUBIE IS DESCRIBED AS A MARXIST AND
IS ONE OF THE MORE RADICAL MEMBERS OF THE "GROUP OF 32"
EX-PARLIAMENT DEPUTIES, WHO FORM THE CORE OF KUWAIT'S
POLITICAL OPPOSITION TO THE GOVERNMENT AND THE
RECENTLY-CREATED NATIONAL COUNCIL. THE SUPPORT WHICH
BOTH THE KTUF AND AL-RUBIE HAVE EXPRESSED FOR THE
GOVERNMENT IS, THEREFORE, SIGNIFICANT. AS THE KUWAITI
AMBASSADOR TO TUNIS NOTED IN REF C, SADDAM IS MAKING A
MISTAKE IF HE THINKS HE CAN EXPLOIT POLITICAL
DIFFERENCES IN KUWAIT. IF ANYTHING, THE CRISIS WILL
PROBABLY HELP TO UNIFY KUWAIT'S VARIOUS POLITICAL AND
SOCIAL GROUPINGS FULLY BEHIND THE AMIR. WE EXPECT THAT
IF AL-RUBIE HAS ALREADY CHIMED IN, IT WON'T BE LONG
BEFORE OTHER OPPOSITION MEMBERS OF FAR LESS RADICAL
VIEWPOINTS, POSSIBLY INCLUDING CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
CHAIRMAN ABDULAZIZ AL-SAGER, WILL BE PRESSURED TO MAKE
SIMILAR STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT. END COMMENT.


HOWELL