VZCZCXRO8320
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK
DE RUEHKU #3099/01 2141421
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 021421Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6063
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHWSMRC/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 003099 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
NOFORN 
 
FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, NEA/P, NEA/PI, INR/NESA, 
R/MR, I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN 
LONDON FOR TSOU 
PARIS FOR ZEYA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2016 
TAGS: OPRC PREL PGOC KMDR KPAO KU MEDIA REACTION
SUBJECT: TFLE01:  A PRESS WAR OF WORDS ON NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 
BACKLASH AGAINST U.S. OVER QANA 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 3057 (NOTAL) 
     ¶B. KUWAIT 2855 
 
Classified By: CDA Matt Tueller for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Summary and comment:  The Kuwaiti press printed 
August 1 virulent and anti-U.S. comments made by MPs.  One 
Arabic daily headlined its front page with a paraphrase of 
one statement:  "Americans and Israelis are SOBs and 
Bastards."  While previously relatively balanced in its news 
coverage, local press set a different tone on August 1st with 
the most overtly anti-U.S. coverage by the Kuwaiti print 
media since the start of hostilities.  Opinion pieces in the 
Kuwaiti press are overwhelmingly critical of perceived U.S. 
complicity in the violence in Lebanon, but some 
anti-Hizballah and pro-U.S. opinions continue to appear as 
well.  The Kuwaiti Journalists Association called on the 
media to continue to support Lebanon and reveal the "cruel" 
Israeli attacks on the Lebanese people.  The vitriol suggests 
the difficulty the GOK faces in acknowledging the outrage of 
the public while directing it away from Arab governments and 
preventing the Lebanese conflict from widening.  A number of 
August 2 op-eds criticized the harshness of the Kuwaiti MPs' 
rhetoric.  End summary and comment. 
 
¶2.  (U)  The Kuwaiti Arabic and English press on August 1 
printed vitriolic comments against the U.S. from Kuwaiti 
Members of Parliament (MPs), many of whom attacked U.S. 
policy in Lebanon following the Israeli attack on Qana.  Of 
the five Arab-language dailies, all but one covered the 
parliamentary comments on inside pages.  Al-Watan, however, 
headined the comments on its front page, paraphrasing 
pro-Iran MP Adnan Abdulsamad as part of its banner heading: 
"Americans and Israelis are SOBs and Bastards."  (Note:  MP 
Samad has played a role in the two demonstrations outside the 
U.S. Embassy (reftels).  End note.)  His comments stem from a 
special parliamentary session scheduled to address a budget 
issue.  During the session, Acting Speaker Ahmad Al-Mulaifi 
read a statement condemning the Qana incident and calling on 
the international community to stop the violence.  Islamist 
MP Khaled Al-Adwa rejected the statement as too bland, saying 
the "U.S. is complicit in the spilling of children's blood in 
Lebanon... Condoleezza Rice's visit to the region was 
preceded by the bombs she sent to the Zionist entity... 
America is a foul, filthy pit... Its policymakers are SOBs." 
Al-Watan prominently featured a list of other statements, 
with the most virulent coming from Islamist-leaning MPs: 
 
--  Jamal Al-Kandari, a member of the Islamic Constitutional 
Movement (ICM):  "It's truly a crusader war as Bush stated... 
 The Arab regimes are incapable of helping Lebanon because of 
their collaboration with the U.S. administration...  We are 
speaking to those in the Arab organizations who are 
humiliating their peoples in order to safeguard their 
interests." 
 
--  Musallam Al-Barrak, an independent yet conservative MP 
and proponent of electoral reform:  "It is a scandal for the 
Arab people, and Hassan Nasrallah has come at a time of 
humiliation of the honor of the Arab nation...  Al-Jazeera 
and Al-Arabiyya are doing the best broadcasting of the truth, 
whereas Kuwait TV is broadcasting drumming and dancing." 
 
--  Dr. Ali Al-Omari, a Salifi Islamist:  "The Israeli 
aggression is not surprising.  What is surprising is the weak 
Arab stance." 
 
--  Daifallah Fadhel Bouramiya, a conservative Islamist, 
congratulated Nasrallah on repulsing the Israelis, something 
that "the other Arab bodies were not able to do in 
confronting the crusader wars". 
 
--  Saleh Ashour, an independent and moderate Shi'a:  "What 
is happening is a disgrace for the Arab governments and no 
one can stop the plan except Hizballah and Hamas." 
 
--  Hussain Al-Mutairi, elected to Parliament for the first 
time on June 29:  "It's a shame for the Arab people whose 
leaders have collaborated with the Zionists and America." 
 
--  Adnan Abdul Samad:  "Condoleezza Rice is a 'wood carrier' 
(a reference to the Quranic verse in which a female relative 
of Mohammad was fated to hell for bringing wood to burn the 
Prophet at the stake)."  He further claimed that she said the 
killing of children was a normal matter which "reveals 
 
KUWAIT 00003099  002 OF 003 
 
 
something inside her because she is a spinster whom the train 
has passed by and who is incapable of motherly feelings." 
 
--  Abdullah Al-Roumi, an independent five-time MP:  "America 
exports terror and condemns it at the same time." 
 
--  Ahmad Baqer, a Salafi MP and former Justice Minister and 
Awqaf Minister:  "Where are the preparations by Muslims for 
war as recommended by Islam?" 
 
--  Ahmad Lari, a new MP:  "We say to you (the American 
Ambassador) that from this day forward you are not welcome at 
our diwaniyas (discussion salons), especially during 
Ramadan."  (Note:  Lari like Abdul Samad, is affiliated with 
the National Islamic Alliance, a conservative Iran-leaning 
association.  He too was involved at recent demonstrations 
staged outside the U.S. Embassy.  End note.) 
 
--  Hassan Jowhar,a pro-reform Shi'a MP:  "A curse on Arab 
leaders who are American henchmen and whose fate is the trash 
bin of history." 
 
--  Ahmad Saadoun, an independent MP and former Speaker of 
Parliament:  "Extreme right Zionists in America are behind 
what is happening." 
 
--  Hussein Al-Huraiti, a parliamentary newcomer, stated he 
would not blame the Arab people if they revolted against 
their rulers. 
 
Similar quotes were reported on the inside pages of other 
issues.  The English-language daily Kuwait Times covered the 
session in its front page with the headline "MPs Slam America 
over Lebanon War." 
 
¶3.  (C/NF)  Comment:  The anger directed toward Arab 
governments by parliamentarians is particularly striking. 
Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ismail Al-Shatti 
responded to the parliamentarians' statements by saying that 
the Government agreed with everything that had been said 
except for the criticism of friendly countries.  This 
illustrates the quandary in which Arab regimes find 
themselves.  Arab governments want to be seen as in step with 
the anger of the Arab street while, at the same time, they 
understand the need for maintaining good relations with the 
U.S.  This duality is further illustrated by a very collegial 
meeting that PolOff had with Islamist MP Khodair Al-Enezi on 
July 29, the day before the Qana bombing.  Al-Enezi implored 
the U.S. to intervene on behalf of Kuwait's stateless 
residents because it was the guardian of human rights in the 
region.  Two days later, he was on the National Assembly 
floor calling for a boycott of American products and 
lambasting the U.S. for what "Israel and America are doing in 
Lebanon".  End comment. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  While the Kuwaiti press has shown sympathy for 
Lebanon in its coverage of the hostilities, its news 
reporting, as opposed to its opinion pieces, has been 
comparatively balanced.  The U.S. position, including quotes 
from Secretary Rice and President Bush -- taken largely from 
wire services -- appears in news reports.  August 1st 
coverage of MP speeches struck a different chord and is the 
most overt anti-U.S. reporting since the start of 
hostilities.  The Kuwait Journalists Association (KJA) on 
July 30 took a stand on events in Lebanon when it issued a 
statement condemning Israeli aggression and calling on the 
"superpowers" to intervene to stop the killing in Lebanon. 
The KJA also asked the Kuwaiti media to continue supporting 
Lebanon and to reveal the "cruel" Israeli attacks on the 
Lebanese people. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Opinion pieces in all the press continue to paint 
Israel as the sole aggressor.  Hizballah is more often than 
not portrayed as a defender of Arab life and dignity.  But 
this is not exclusively the case.  The Editor-in-chief of the 
Arabic daily Al-Seyassah wrote August 1, "Right now, the war 
in Lebanon is an extension of the disputes between Syria and 
Iran against the United States.  Therefore we call on the 
United States to beat the snake's head Iran, and not its tail 
represented by Iraq and Lebanon... America will not succeed 
in turning Lebanon into another Iraq, and Tehran and Damascus 
will not succeed in jeopardizing the international will to 
contain this war."  Furthermore, a number of August 2nd 
opinion pieces pointedly criticized Parliament for acting on 
emotions rather than in tones befitting statesmen.  Zibin 
 
KUWAIT 00003099  003 OF 003 
 
 
Hamad Al-Badhal took special exception to the personal 
attacks on Condoleezza Rice.  He went on to note that August 
2nd is the sixteenth anniversary of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait 
and that Kuwaitis would still be under his rule were it not 
for the U.S.  Muhammad Al-Mulaifi reported in Al-Seyassah 
that someone who viewed the protests at the U.S. Embassy 
afterwards went to the mall where he saw hanging out the same 
young people who an hour before had been chanting "Death to 
America." 
 
********************************************* * 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s 
 
Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
********************************************* * 
 
TUELLER