VZCZCXRO2921
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDIR RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHKU #0573/01 1591009
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 081009Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3457
INFO RUEHZM/GCC COLLECTIVE
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 000573 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP (BMASILKO), NEA/PPD (ASOMERSET, DBENZE), R 
(WDOUGLAS) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO PGOV PREL SOCI KU
SUBJECT: KUWAIT MEDIA REACTION: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S JUNE 4 CAIRO 
SPEECH VIES WITH CHAPTER VII FOR HEADLINES 
 
REF: KUWAIT 571 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY AND COMMENT.  Kuwaiti media reaction to the President's 
June 4 speech to the Muslim world from Cairo vacillated between 
gushing enthusiasm and calls for action, often within the same 
article.  While some editorials described the speech as historical, 
balanced and very positive, others characterized the President's 
words as slogans, which have yet to be translated into real action 
on the ground.  Reaction to the speech was nearly overshadowed by 
the ongoing "press war" between Iraq and Kuwait over Chapter VII of 
the UN Charter.  Although a GOK "diktat" to the press has diminished 
the news headlines on this issue, it continues to be editorial 
fodder.  Moderate Arabic daily Al-Qabas committed all of its 
editorials on Saturday and Sunday to the Chapter VII issue, passing 
up the chance for further comment on the President's speech.  The 
sentiments expressed reflect longstanding distrust by Kuwaitis of 
Iraq's intentions toward its southern neighbor.  END SUMMARY AND 
COMMENT. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
NEWS AND EDITORIAL REACTION TO PRESIDENT OBAMA 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2.  News coverage on Friday and through the weekend was comprised 
mainly of printing the transcript or excerpts from the speech with 
little commentary.  Wire stories on international reactions appeared 
in most papers.  The absence of an official Kuwaiti government 
reaction -- out of pique over the non-mention of Kuwaiti women's 
victory in parliamentary elections (reftel) -- meant reduced 
reporting by the Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA).  The English-language, 
conservative paper, Al-Watan Daily, combined coverage of President 
Obama's speech with Ambassador Jones' interview during the talk show 
"Taw Elleil," which aired on Al-Watan TV on the evening of June 4. 
The headlines on Friday morning read "Obama Calls for New Beginning 
with Muslims," and "U.S. Ambassador: President Obama is Keen on 
Implementing Dialogue to Bridge Misunderstandings."  A summary of 
both the speech and the interview dominated the paper's front page. 
 
 
¶3.  Other Friday news headlines included: 
 
-- "Obama Speaks to Muslims in a Historic Speech 'Open a New Page 
with America;' He Quoted from the Quran and Called for Coexistence 
and Reconciliation" (Al Watan, Arabic, daily, conservative) 
 
-- "Obama Began his Historical Speech with Al-Salam Alaikom; He 
Quoted from the Quran, and Said America has Never Been, and Will 
Never be at War with Islam" (Al Rai, Arabic, daily, liberal) 
 
-- "Obama Offers a New Beginning ... He Confirmed that America will 
not Turn its Back to the Palestinians" (Awan, Arabic, daily, 
moderate) 
 
-- "On the Basis of Reconciliation and Mutual Respect, and Because 
They Share the Same Values, Obama 'Makes Up' with Muslims" (Al-Dar, 
Arabic, daily, Shiite) 
 
-- "Barack Hussein Obama: Peace Upon Muslims" (Al-Seyassah, Arabic, 
daily, pro-government) 
 
¶4.  Editorial comment was divided between gushing enthusiasm and 
calls for action, often in the same article.  Headlines included: 
 
-- "Our Choice" (Kuwait Times) 
-- "Farewell September 11th" (Al-Qabas) 
-- "And Peace Upon You Too Abou Hussein" (Al-Seyassah and Arab 
Times) 
-- "The Goodwill Speech" (Al-Anbaa) 
-- "Well Done Obama" (Awan) 
-- "Will Obama Succeed Where his Ancestors Failed?"(Al-Rai) 
-- "Can Obama Blow up Bush's Matrix?" (Al-Watan) 
 
¶5.  Among the enthusiasts: 
 
-- On Saturday, June 6, many columnists in the pro-government Arabic 
daily Al-Seyassah opined about President Obama's speech.  Nearly all 
carried a similar message of praising the words, but calling for 
deeds.  The lead editorial, however, was that of its Editor-in-Chief 
-- Ahmad Al-Jarallah -- who addressed the President saying "Mr. 
Barack Obama, please let me tell you how great you were in 
diagnosing the sickness and prescribing the medicine."  Muslims from 
around the world pray to God to give you the wisdom that you look 
for to deal with Middle East issues." 
 
 
KUWAIT 00000573  002 OF 003 
 
 
-- Liberal regular columnist in liberal pro-government Arabic daily 
Al-Anbba, Sami Abdul Latif Al-Nisf, allocated his Sunday column to 
the "Goodwill Speech" of President Obama.  Al-Nisf said "perhaps 
another thousand years will pass before we hear another similar 
historical speech at the end of which we -- Muslims, Christians, 
Jews, Arabs, Americans, and Israelis -- felt that we are partners in 
solving the everlasting complicated regional issues; instead of 
blaming one another.  Al-Nisif finished his column by advising the 
Arabs to get unified in the post-speech period in order to return 
Obama's greetings in the same, or even better, fashion. 
 
-- Moderate Salafi columnist in the liberal Arabic daily Al-Rai and 
political activist Dr. Wael Al-Hasawi opined: "Before President 
Obama's speech I believed that the great democratic super powers are 
countries that are run through institutions and that the President 
did not have much influence over the country's policies.  However, 
the historic speech of President Obama made me rethink my 
convictions, and make a comparison between former U.S. President 
Bush, who announced that the crusade war had begun and that those 
who are not with us are against us, and current U.S. President Obama 
who announced that he came to search for new beginnings."  Dr. 
Hissawi concluded his editorial by wishing President Obama luck in 
achieving what he has set as his goals. 
 
-- Mr. Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al-Kous wrote in the conservative Arabic 
daily Al-Watan: "President Obama has come to open a new page with 
the Islamic world, even though this visit has other undisclosed 
objectives that serve U.S. interests first and foremost.  But, it's 
a first step and a fair and positive first step toward admitting the 
mistakes of former President Bush.  That is why we see President 
Obama take decisions that cancel those taken by the previous 
administration, such as closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center 
and announcing his troops' withdrawal from Iraq and other measures 
he took to correct the wrongdoings of his predecessor." 
 
¶6.  Among the more skeptical: 
 
-- Routinely skeptical Badrya Darwish, CEO of English daily Kuwait 
Times, questioned in her June 5 column "What did Obama tell the 
Muslim world?  What can Obama do for the Muslim world?  Obama does 
not have a magic stick, but he has goodwill."  She criticized the 
President's characterization of the war in Iraq as a "war of 
choice," called on Arabs themselves to work to solve the Palestinian 
issue, and made a parallel between the Iranian and Israeli nuclear 
programs.  Ms. Darwish concluded that "the most positive thing that 
can come out of Obama's address to the Muslim word is that maybe the 
American people and the West will stop thinking of us as 
terrorists." 
 
-- In pro-government Arabic daily Awan, Muhammad Al-Yusefi, welcomed 
a "dialogue of civilizations" instead of a "clash of civilizations;" 
the latter he said was advocated by Obama's predecessor.  Al-Yusefi 
added, "we are not here to discuss whether these policies are going 
to succeed or not since only time can prove that.  However, we are 
saying that this man has a different view."  In his conclusion, Dr. 
Al-Yousefi said, "I liked the balanced nature of President Obama's 
speech.  It was a speech that carried within it deep cultural 
implications, which is rare to hear from politicians who normally 
avoid tackling cultural values ... in his words President Obama 
spoke volumes about the role of Muslims in the growth and 
development of his own country, the United States.  He identified 
that the greatness of America is due in part to the contribution of 
Arab and Muslim Americans.  At the end, I only want to say well done 
President Obama... Now, all the world wants to see is how you are 
going to translate your words into action." 
 
------------------------------- 
CHAPTER VII DOMINATES HEADLINES 
------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  On Chapter VII, news reports focused on statements from 
independent MP Musallam Al-Barak and conservative Salafi MP Dr. 
Waleed Al-Tabtabaei asserting the role of the National Assembly in 
this matter, arguing against any compromise with Iraq that would 
lead Kuwait to forfeit any of its "rights" under international 
resolutions and calling for Iraq to remain steadfast on the 
compensation issue.  Reports also cited expected statements from 
Kuwait's Foreign Minister to MPs advising them against escalation 
and putting the blame on the media in both countries, and not on the 
Iraqi government, for driving the current dispute.  The papers noted 
that the Kuwaiti Ambassador in Baghdad had traveled to Kuwait for 
meetings, but would return to Baghdad before the end of the week. 
 
¶8.  Chapter VII dominated the editorials on Saturday (6/6) and 
Sunday (6/7).  Editorialists continued to call for Kuwait to 
withdraw its Ambassador from Iraq and for Kuwait not to forgive 
Iraq's debt to Kuwait (i.e. UN-mandated compensation); the 
sentiments expressed reflect longstanding distrust by Kuwaitis of 
 
KUWAIT 00000573  003 OF 003 
 
 
Iraq's intentions toward its southern neighbor.  Key themes 
included: 
 
-- "The Libyans did not forget their martyrs and the bloodshed of 
their grandparents although it has been seventy years since the 
Italian occupation of Libya.  Here in Kuwait they want us to forget 
the bloodshed of our martyrs who were killed by the Iraqi army when 
not even twenty years have passed. ... Imagine they want us to pay 
for the bullets that they used to kill our martyrs!"  (Saad 
Al-Motesh, Al-Rai) 
 
-- "We advise our government not to resolve our disputes with Iraq 
bilaterally.  We also warn the Minister of Foreign Affairs not to 
commit the same strategic mistake of Arafat when negotiating with 
Israel."  (Bader Al-Bahar, Al-Qabas) 
 
-- Addressing the Iraqi people, "it is your responsibility to build 
a new Iraq.  Your country is in need of every effort from you.  As 
for the international resolutions, they have their specialists. 
Neither Kuwait nor Iraq can get rid of the international resolutions 
or their legitimacy."  (Saud Al-Samaka, Al-Qabas) 
 
JONES