US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT4533

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 004533 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR, I/GNEA, 
B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN 
USAID/ANE/MEA 
LONDON FOR POL 
PARIS FOR POL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, KPAO, IZ, KMDR, KU, KUWAIT-IRAQ RELATIONS 
SUBJECT: KUWAIT SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION - SADDAM HUSSEIN 
TRIAL 
 
Ref: Kuwait 4532 
 
-------------------- 
Front-Page Headlines 
-------------------- 
 
1. Thursday, October 20, 2005 
 
All five major newspapers carried photographs of Saddam 
Hussein in court on their front pages: 
-- Al Qabas "Sadam before the mother of trials: I do not 
recognize your authority." 
-- Al-Seyassah "Saddam faced justice with the delusion of a 
desperate despot." 
-- Al-Anbaa "Public prosecution asks for Saddam's 
execution." 
-- Al Watan "Iraq's devil before justice." 
-- Al-Rai Al Aam "Saddam Hussein in the trial of the age. 
without an identity." 
 
2.  Friday, October 21, 2005 
 
Only two of the five major newspapers displayed front-page 
coverage of the trial: 
-- Al-Anbaa: A caricature of Saddam with a noose around his 
neck with a text balloon reading "The inevitable outcome." 
Headline: "Saddam asked for black hair dye prior to the 
trial.  His request for a lawyer means recognition of the 
court." 
-- Al-Rai Alaam: A photograph of Saddam and Al-Saadoon. 
Headline: "Al Sheikh Ali: Al-Saadoon issued execution orders 
for 221,756 Iraqis, his seating next to Saddam was 
intentional..  The court witnessed the mother of all 
farces."  Article on page 22. 
 
--------------------- 
Coverage of the Trial 
--------------------- 
 
3. Thursday, October 20, 2005 
 
-- Al-Seyassah pp. 31 and 32 headlines: "Iraq's removed 
despot claims innocence of his crimes and refuses to 
cooperate with the court"; "American documents describe 
Saddam as brutal and evil"; "Raghad is confident of her 
father's innocence"; "Those involved in Saddam's 
assassination attempt in Dijail did not receive outside 
support"; "Tehran: Saddam's crimes against Iran must be 
included"; "Saddam's trial is an accountability warning to 
other Arab leaders"; "Some Gulf newspapers considered the 
trial to be a unique occurrence while others thought it was 
a farce"; "Paris: We hope to uncover Saddam's crimes"; 
"Death of a man who protested the trial" 
-- Al-Anbaa pp. 18 and 19 headlines: "Saddam the mouse in 
the hole: I do not recognize the authority of the court"; 
"Saddam in the cage of justice"; "American declassified 
documents: Saddam is a brutal, evil, crook"; "Jubilation in 
Kurdistan and anticipation in Tikrit." 
-- Al Watan p. 26 headlines: "The despot stands before 
justice and refuses to recognize the court"; "After the 
collapse of the peacock's throne: Saddam's family members 
are dead or homeless." 
-- Al-Rai Al Aam pp. 18 and 19 headlines: "Saddam.trial of 
the century"; "Saddam refuses to identify himself, claims 
his innocence, and reserves his constitutional rights as the 
president of Iraq"; "Kurdish judge heads the tribunal"; 
"Strict security measures for journalists and observers"; 
"International NGOs demand a fair trial"; "Raghad is sure of 
her father's innocence but is upset by the conduct of the 
trial"; "Newspapers celebrate the trial: Iraqis will watch 
their dictator stand before the mercy of justice"; "Jordan's 
Baath Party still sees Saddam as the legitimate president of 
Iraq." 
 
4.  Friday, October 21, 2005 
 
-- Al-Anbaa pp. 14 and 15 headlines: "Public prosecutor: 
Saddam killed 148 people because of a rumor surrounding the 
assassination attempt at Al-Dijaila."  "Kuwaitis see 
execution as `not enough.'"  "Saddam recognized the court 
when he requested a lawyer."  "The despot asked for black 
hair dye before standing trial." 
-- Al-Qabas front page headline: "Why the Al-Dijail trial 
first?" 
-- Al-Seyassah p. 28 headlines: "Palestinian festival to 
support Saddam"; "Saddam wore a $400 suit." 
-- Al Watan p. 23: Photograph of a Palestinian boy holding 
up a picture of Saddam with the headline "Independent judges 
and an Iraq based on the sovereignty of the law." 
------------ 
Block Quotes 
------------ 
 
5.  Friday, October 21, 2005 
 
-- Sayar Al-Jamil wrote in pro-government Arabic daily Al- 
Seyassah under the title "Saddam Hussein in the cage at the 
criminal court": "I wish Saddam had not run and hid as he 
did, but rather that he had stood his ground and fought like 
the hero he claimed to be in the streets of Baghdad against 
the American tanks as they crossed the bridges over the 
Tigris River.  Had he done so, it would have been a stance 
that history would have remembered for him." 
 
-- Hamza Al-Shmaikhy also wrote for Al Seyassah, "Baathists 
remain": "After all the crimes, murders, mass graves, wars, 
and corruption, there are still people who defend the Baath 
Party; the same party that came to power through a coup 
d'etat and ruled Iraq for 35 years.  Those who defend the 
party today wear the masks of nationalism, pan-Arabism, and 
Islam.  They themselves have committed torture and 
assassinations against all that opposed them." 
 
 
6.  Saturday, October 22, 2005 
 
-- Under the headline "The funny court," Ali Al-Kandry wrote 
in moderate Al Qabas: "This cannot be the Iraqis' best work. 
Technically, the courtroom's acoustics were so bad there was 
an echo, the microphones were not working properly, and 
sound was generally bad.  How could Iraq with its thinkers, 
intellectuals, judges, and engineers produce such a 
disappointment?  Millions watched what was supposed to be 
the trial of the century.  Even the judge himself was 
inexperienced and decided that he would rather be nice and 
forfeit the dignity of his position.  He presided over the 
court with no gavel and he allowed the defendants to speak 
without his permission.  The proceedings in general were 
disappointingly chaotic." 
 
-- Moderate Al-Rai Al Aam published an extremely sarcastic 
opinion piece by Fahd Al-Bassam, "Saddam's trial is 
illegitimate": "Saddam's trial lacks the legitimacy that 
Arabs are accustomed to--one that must be baptized by 
people's blood.  That is why this Iraqi government lacks the 
bloody legitimacy to try the sedate calf Saddam Hussein who 
ruled `legitimately and democratically.'  The principle of 
an eye for an eye should take precedence during this trial. 
Just as so many Iraqis were murdered based on suspicions, 
then Saddam should meet his fate as we, quite frankly, 
suspect him." 
 
-- Dr. Abdullah Khalifa Al-Shayji of Al Watan wrote in 
"Justice and not revenge at Saddam's trial of the age": 
"We all want Saddam to be tried for his crimes against us. 
We will settle for no less than an execution.  Some want it 
to happen in public in Al-Safah square, to watch Saddam 
receive the condemnation he deserves for what his killing 
machine did.  We want the Iraqi judiciary to demonstrate its 
legitimacy, independence, and honesty so that the decision 
made will be a fair one." 
 
-- Al Anbaa published an article by Sami Abdul Latif Al-Nesf 
titled, "Spotlights on Saddam's trial": "Saddam's strategy 
in the trial is twofold.  The first is to busy the court 
with insignificant sideshow issues, as occurred when the 
attention of the court was diverted from the 143 innocent 
people that were murdered to the headdress of the seven 
criminals charged with their murder.  The second is to 
stall; Saddam's lawyer objected to having him be tried on 
each charge individually and requested that he be tried on 
all charges at once.  This would mean that the trial would 
drag out and take years.  All Saddam needs is two years so 
that he can reach the age of 70 because it is said that 
Iraqi law does not permit the execution of those 70 years of 
age or older." 
 
LEBARON