US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT1048

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 001048 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INR/R/MR, 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 23: WAR IN IRAQ 
 
REF: KUWAIT 00980 
 
1.   SUMMARY: An editorial encapsulates the conflicting 
opinions on war with Iraq that have appeared for months in 
the Kuwaiti press. The end of Saddam will be a good thing, 
says the writer, but "we would have been more pleased to see 
the Iraqi people take on this task to spare us the turmoil 
of being part of frightening American plans." Prominent 
radical Islamist and Al-Qaeda apologist Mohammad al-Mulaifi 
(reftel) espouses no love of Saddam in his "religious 
opinion" on the war-"We must pray the famous prayer of the 
Prophet: `God destroy one tyrant with another'"- and goes on 
to enumerate how America seeks to "establish hegemony over 
the region." 
 
There is criticism over reports of Kuwaiti troops entering 
(and praying in) the border town of Umm Qasr--denied by the 
Ministry of Defense. The raising of the American flag over 
that city is seen as inflammatory. 
 
Newspapers report that now that gas masks are available to 
the public, demand is minimal, and that thirty thousand 
expatriates have left Kuwait since March 18. A conspirator 
in the killing of a US Marine on Failaka Island in October 
2002 has been released on bail pending the final verdict. A 
prominent liberal commentator bashes the GOK decision to 
give female employees the week off, and the women who stayed 
home, as detrimental to the fight for equal rights. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
1.   News Stories: Dr. Mohammed Al-Tabtabaee, Dean of the 
College of Sharia and Islamic Studies at Kuwait University, 
called on the Kuwaiti people to combat the "Scuds of 
Tyranny" with a strong faith in God, all newspapers report. 
 
All newspapers carry Ministry of Defense spokesman, Colonel 
Yousef Al-Mulla's denial of reports that Kuwaiti forces have 
entered the Iraqi side of Umm Qasr, which straddles the 
border. 
 
Al-Qabas reports that the Chairman of the National Committee 
for POW and the Missing Affairs, Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah, has 
spoken to the American and British Ambassadors about the 
importance of locating Kuwaiti POWs. 
 
All newspapers report that many women came to work in 
government offices on March 22 despite a decision by the 
Civil Service Commission to allow them to take leave in 
light of the current circumstances. 
 
Al-Watan says a Kuwaiti Criminal Court released on 500 
Kuwaiti Dinar's bail (approximately USD 1500) pending the 
verdict one of the eight Kuwaitis accused of aiding the men 
(killed at the scene) that carried out the October 2002 
Failaka Island attack which left one US Marine dead. 
 
The two cooperatives (grocery stores) that began selling gas 
masks to the public on March 22 report only minimal sales of 
sixty and ten masks respectively, according to Al-Qabas and 
Al-Rai Al-Aam. 
 
Approximately 30,000 expatriates and 4,000 Kuwaitis have 
left the country since last Tuesday, according to Al-Qabas. 
 
All newspapers report that Kuwait Airways has announced that 
they will fly only between the hours of 7a.m. and sunset, 
and that they have temporarily suspended flights to the 
United States, Europe, Iran, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. 
 
A Kuwaiti source reported that a plane from the World Food 
Program carrying 50 tons of food aid for the Iraqi people 
landed in Kuwait on the evening of March 22. 
 
All newspapers report on their front pages that the Kuwaiti 
Cabinet decided to establish a health center run by the 
Kuwaiti Red Crescent on the Iraqi side of the border to 
treat Iraqi casualties. 
 
Editorials: 
 
1.  "Improvised Decision" 
Liberal Kuwait University Political Science Professor, Dr. 
Shamlan Al-Essa wrote in independent Al-Seyassah (3/23): 
"It is very obvious that the decision [to grant women 
government employees the week off] has been made to satisfy 
the political Islamist groups in Kuwait. The justification 
that women were granted leave to take care of their children 
at home during this time is not true simply because maids 
are the ones who take care of our children.  We are very 
proud of some of Kuwait's women who are working today with 
the allied forces as interpreters or with the international 
press. If Kuwaiti women want to be equal to men in all their 
rights, they must depend on themselves and report to duty 
just as men do, instead of staying at home to watch the war 
on television." 
 
2.  Islamist Mohammad Al-Mulaifi, Director of Information at 
the Ministry of Awqaf and Social Affairs, wrote in 
independent Al-Seyassah (3/23):  "There is no doubt that 
America's success in controlling Iraq and its oil will 
revive the American economy, which will contribute to the 
President Bush's chances for re-election... He who controls 
this region, controls the world economy... Some may wonder, 
what is the legal religious opinion with regards to what is 
happening in Iraq? I say: [Saddam] is a criminal Baathist 
infidel and God has empowered a worse criminal infidel over 
him... We must pray the famous prayer of the Prophet: "God 
destroy one tyrant through another..." The most important 
goals of the American war on Iraq could be summarized in 
five points: 1) regain its dignity which was lost following 
September 11 and make up for its inability to arrest Al- 
Qaeda leaders; 2) dominate Iraq's oil reserves; 3) establish 
hegemony over the region by imposing an American military 
presence in Iraq; 4) set a precedent for imposing change 
from the outside, and pass it off as acceptable and 
something that can be repeated in either Syria, Saudi Arabia 
or Iran; 5) remove a rebellious regime that refuses to be 
fully part of the American system." 
 
3.  Khalid Al-Mutairi wrote in independent Al-Seyassah 
(3/23):  "Some Kuwaiti soldiers held the evening prayers in 
the city of Umm Qasr in Iraq. My question to them is who 
ever gave you the authority to enter that city? Did you take 
permission from any member of the Iraqi opposition to enter 
Umm Qasr and pray in it? If the answer is `no,' allow me to 
apologize to our Iraqi brothers for such behavior from those 
who act before they think." 
 
4.  Khalid Al-Mutairi also wrote in independent Al-Seyassah 
(3/23):  "The American soldier who raised the American flag 
over Umm Qasr does not realize the big mistake he committed 
in this war. Such a mistake should not have happened. For 
those who will argue that this is but a small error, we 
remind them that World War II started with a single bullet." 
 
5.  "His Intentions Have Been Revealed" 
Liberal Secretary-General of the Kuwait Journalists 
Association, Faisal Al-Qanai wrote in independent Al- 
Seyassah (3/23):  "The missiles which the Iraqi regime 
launched against Kuwait proved to the international 
community the real aggressive intensions against Kuwait. 
The Iraqi missiles reached Kuwait before a single bullet was 
fired from Kuwait.  Therefore, Kuwait has the right to 
respond to any aggression and to demand that France, China 
and Russia act on the security agreements they have signed 
with Kuwait." 
 
6.  "The Opportunism of the Muslim Turks" 
Liberal Abdullatif Al-Duaij wrote in independent Al-Qabas 
(3/23):  "There are no other words to describe the Turkish 
position except opportunistic and aggressive. The Turks, 
under their Muslim leadership, refused to support the 
liberation of Iraq in return for European aid from France 
and Germany. This is cheap opportunism and immoral and 
unjustifiable aggression by the Turkish State... The Turks 
themselves have entered Iraqi land as invaders and not 
liberators. How is it acceptable for superior Muslim states 
to take over the land of weak Muslims, but not the right of 
foreigners to do the same?" 
 
7.  "Mixed Feelings" 
Salah Al-Fadli wrote in independent Al-Rai Al-Aam (3/23): 
"I experience mixed feelings when I watch the war on 
television. I feel uncomfortable watching foreign forces 
entering an Islamic country and for seeing an Arab capital 
being bombarded. This is especially true when one realizes 
that the American goal... is to gain full control of the 
world and not to help the Iraqi people... On the other hand, 
when one realizes that this war is the only means of 
toppling this criminal regime, this is a source of joy. It 
is true that we will be joyful to see Saddam's regime 
toppled, but we would have been more pleased to see the 
Iraqi people take on this task to prevent us the turmoil of 
being part of frightening American plans." 
 
JONES