US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT2657

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 002657 
 
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, JUNE 14-16: ISRAELI 
OPERATION TARGETING AL-RANTISSI; IRAQ; US CIVIL RIGHTS 
 
1.   SUMMARY: Kuwait's State Minister for Foreign Affairs 
condemned the June 10 attack by Israeli helicopters that 
injured senior Hamas leader Abdul Aziz Al-Rantissi as 
"terrorism." One conservative writer calls for Jihad as the 
only option for Palestinians in an editorial titled, "No 
Peace With Them." 
 
An Islamist writer cites recent Congressional hearings on 
possible civil rights violations after September 11 as proof 
of US hypocrisy: "America tries to demonstrate to the world 
the ideal vision of democracy and human rights while it 
holds inside ugly contradictions and shameful practices." 
 
Another commentator blames the US-led campaigns in 
Afghanistan and Iraq for an "increase in terrorism" that has 
resulted in a "world living in a state of shock and terror." 
END SUMMARY. 
 
2.   News Stories: Al-Rai Al-Aam reports on June 15 State 
Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabah's 
strong denunciation of Israeli "assassination operations," 
saying such operations are a form of terrorism. 
 
On June 16, all dailies carry front-page coverage of the 
burial of the remains of the second identified Kuwaiti POW, 
Ahmad Al-Qallaf. 
 
The Minister of Information Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahd's comments 
on Al-Jazeera, accusing the satellite news channel of 
"unprofessionalism" and of broadcasting "false" information 
about Kuwait, appear on the front pages of all dailies on 
June 14. 
 
Al Anba reports on June 14 the Kuwaiti Minister of Interior 
Sheikh Mohammed Al-Khaled's visit to Iran will include 
discussion of reports that Iranian authorities have 
apprehended Al-Qaeda spokesman, Suleiman Bu Gheith, along 
with other Kuwaitis who have fled Afghanistan. 
 
On June 14, all newspapers report that Kuwaiti border 
patrols sabotaged two attempts by Iraqis to infiltrate 
across the border into Kuwait, one of which aimed at 
smuggling 14 kilograms of hashish into Kuwait. 
 
Al-Qabas reports on June 15 that two candidates for the July 
5 parliamentary elections have withdrawn, reducing the total 
number of candidates to 274 for the fifty National Assembly 
seats. 
 
Editorials: 
 
3.  "No Peace with Them" 
Conservative Dr. Sami Nasser Al-Khalifa wrote in independent 
Al-Rai Al-Aam (6/14):  "In his attempt to assassinate 
[senior leader of Hamas Abdul Aziz] Al-Rantissi, Sharon has 
proven that any so-called `peace' cannot be achieved unless 
the Palestinians surrender to the Zionist's will, or Arabs 
and Muslims are subjugated under the new `Road Map plan' . 
We have no choice but to resort to the Quran, because verses 
on Jihad mentioned in many Surras state that war should have 
one objective: boosting the Almighty's religion. In other 
words, war means to fight [for] a divine project." 
 
4.  "The Burned-Bodies Dialogue" 
Dr. Ayyed Al-Manna wrote in independent Al-Watan (6/14): 
"The religious and the political extremists on both sides, 
the Israelis and the Palestinians are engaged in the burned 
bodies dialogue. The Palestinians attack the Israelis with 
explosive belts while the Israelis respond back by attacking 
the Palestinians using the Apache helicopters and tanks. 
What is the aim of this dialogue? As long as both parties 
have not reached the point of exhaustion, then the burned- 
bodies dialogue will be seen as the most effective means to 
achieve the final goal." 
 
5.  "The American Terrorism" 
Abdel Aziz Al-Hindal wrote in independent Al-Qabas (6/14): 
"In Afghanistan, the US found out that most of the people 
who died during the war were civilians. As for Iraq, many 
Iraqi soldiers and civilian remained neutral, leaving the 
fighting to the Baathists.  The result of both wars was that 
the leaders of those countries remained alive to respond 
against the US. Consequently, terrorism has spread 
throughout the world, and security authorities must be on 
alert at all times in order to confront any possible 
terrorist attack. The result of the two wars waged under the 
pretext of combating terrorism is an increased number of 
terrorist attacks. As a result of American polices, the 
world lives in a state of shock and terror." 
 
6.  "America is Violating Civil Rights" 
Islamist Adel Al-Qassar wrote in independent Al-Qabas 
(6/15):  "On June 4, 2003, the American Congress held a 
session organized by a coalition of American civil rights 
organizations to listen to a number of victims whose civil 
rights were violated after September 11 attacks. US 
Congressman [Ted] Kennedy stated that many American laws 
include articles that are discriminatory and should be 
revised. It is regrettable that some people defend America 
more than the Americans themselves. America tries to 
demonstrate to the world the ideal vision of democracy and 
human rights while it holds inside ugly contradictions and 
shameful practices." 
 
7.  Radical Islamist Mohammad Al-Mulaifi wrote in 
independent Al-Seyassah (6/15): "Those who came under the 
pretext of providing freedom and liberation to the Iraqis 
have not found any Iraqi that deserves to lead the country 
according to the American wishes. In other words, they have 
not found a `new Karzai' on which the White House can 
depend. The US Administration has gone beyond the freedom of 
Iraq by appointing Noah Wildman, a Jew that holds American 
and Israeli citizenship, to prepare a new Iraqi constitution 
which will be the basis for establishing a new regime in an 
American Iraq." 
 
JONES