US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT818

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000818 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INR/R/M, NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, PA, INR/NESA, IIP/G/NEA- 
SA, INR/B 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH, PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA 
CINCCENT FOR CCPA 
USDOC FOR 4520/ANESA/ONE/FITZGERALD-WILKS 
USDOC FOR ITA AND PTO/OLIA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KU, KDMR 
SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION, MARCH 6: EXILE FOR SADDAM; 
IRAQ 
 
1.   Summary: While Kuwaiti chief editors spend today 
penning editorials of sputtering outrage following the Iraqi 
vice-president's characterization of Kuwait at Wednesday's 
OIC session as "a monkey and a valet" in the service of 
America, op/eds from earlier in the week praise the proposal 
of Shaikh Zayed of Oman calling on Saddam to accept 
voluntary exile.  In reaction to the Turkish Parliament's 
rejection of a US deployment, Kuwait's Defense Minister said 
Kuwait is ready to receive the troops. 
 
On other issues, various members of Kuwait's chattering 
classes hold forth.  In a column entitled "The American 
Problem," one writer offers the canard that "FBI centers 
have become closer to Arab intelligence centers where 
torture and humiliation are exercised against anyone Muslim 
or anything Arab," while another opines that the return of 
the Iraqi monarchy is the best solution for that country. 
End summary. 
 
2.  News Stories: Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak 
reiterated Kuwait's readiness to receive the American troops 
that were destined for deployment in Turkey. 
 
Four thousand Saudi troops arrived in Kuwait on March 4 to 
bolster GCC common defense "Peninsula Shield" forces already 
deployed in Kuwait. 
 
Newspapers report that Kuwait International Airport will not 
be closed if war breaks out, and that flight paths have laid 
out with the military for civil and for military flights. 
 
Dean of the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies at Kuwait 
University, Dr. Mohammad Al-Tabtabei, stated in a seminar at 
the Kuwait Journalists' Society that the foreign military 
presence in Kuwait is religiously legitimate and justified, 
and again condemned attacks on American soldiers in Kuwait. 
 
3.  "The Solution Is In Zayed's Initiative" 
Faisal Al-Qanai wrote in independent Al-Seyassah (3/4):  "If 
Arabs were serious about solving the Iraqi crisis to avoid 
the destruction of Iraq, they would have discussed Shaikh 
Zayed's initiative. His courageous initiative was aimed at 
protecting Iraqi people, but unfortunately the Arabs did not 
accept it." 
 
4.  "The American Problem" 
Ghassan Al-Otaibi wrote in independent Al-Qabas (3/3): "The 
US faces a major problem in introducing democracy to Iraq in 
the post-Saddam era. It is widely expected that the Shiites 
will be the winners of any popular election, and this will 
not be acceptable either to the US or to Iraq's neighbors. 
[T]o avert this problem, the only solution is the return of 
the monarchy, which is an appropriate choice, given the fact 
that the Iraqi royal family is Sunni and acceptable Iraq's 
neighbors." 
 
5.  "Will the Islamic Summit Save What the Arab Summit 
Damaged?" 
Islamist Adel Al-Qassar wrote in independent Al-Qabas (3/4): 
"If the Arab Summit at Sharm El-Shaikh was incapable of 
addressing [Shaikh Zayed of Oman's exile proposal for 
Saddam], then I believe that there is undoubtedly room under 
the expansive Islamic umbrella to accept the courageous 
initiative. [T]he UAE has the right to revive its initiative 
at the Islamic Summit in Qatar in order to receive support, 
and to succeed in ousting Saddam." 
 
6.  "The Arab Mockery" 
Ghassan Al-Otaibi wrote in independent Al-Qabas (3/5):  "The 
UAE initiative at the Arab summit was a logical solution to 
avert the destruction of this region, but to form an Arab 
delegation to visit the US and Europe is illogical and a 
waste of time. The American and the European positions are 
well-known, and this delegation will not be capable of 
deterring the war unless Saddam steps down. Therefore, the 
UAE initiative is the sole solution for the Iraqi crisis." 
 
7.  "With Souls, With Blood, We Redeem You, Bush" 
Salah Al-Fadhli wrote in independent Al-Rai Al-A'am (3/5): 
"Does the United States have the right to boast that it is a 
nation founded on the values of freedom, justice and 
protection of human rights? Does it have the credibility to 
say that it is seeking to sow democracy in the world? . FBI 
centers have become closer to Arab intelligence centers 
where torture and humiliation are exercised against anyone 
Muslim or anything Arab. If there are moral justifications 
for the invasion of Iraq, as claimed by Bush the Son, then 
where were these justifications at the end of the Gulf war.? 
Despite all these moral violations by America, and because 
the Arabs have become accustomed to applaud whoever takes 
office, the Arab masses will not be embarrassed to chant 
their eternal slogan-- after changing the name only-- "With 
souls, with blood, we redeem you, Bush". 
 
8.  "The Call for Resignation and The Arab Summit" 
Dr. Shafiq Al-Ghabra wrote in independent Al-Rai Al-Aam 
(3/5): "The Arab leaders at the summit should have met to 
discuss how to convince the Iraqi leader to resign in order 
to avoid a destructive war in the region. The leaders should 
have discussed the role of the Arabs after Saddam and to 
open dialogue with the Iraqi opposition. But, unfortunately, 
Arabs have chosen not to touch on these topics, and 
preferred to wait until the flood occurs." 
 
9. "An American Diplomat Resigns in Protest Against the 
Policies of the American Administration" 
Abdullah Al-Nafisi wrote in independent Al-Watan (3/5): 
"J.B. Kiesling is a diplomat who worked for the US State 
Department for over twenty years. Anyone who reads his 
letter of resignation addressed to Secretary Powell will 
immediately realize the internal collapse of the policies 
adopted by the current American administration. Without 
exaggeration, such voices are now increasing in the US due 
to polices adopted by the current administration, which is 
described as extremist." 
 
JONES