“THE US Advisor for National Security Affairs James Jones, was recently quoted as saying Iran is likely to attack Israel through Hezbollah of Lebanon and the Hamas movement of Palestine due to pressures currently put on it,” columnist and Professor at Kuwait University’s Political Science Department Dr Ibrahim Al-Hadban wrote for Al-Rai daily Wednesday. “Former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice was also once quoted as saying there was relationship between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden’. She had also said, Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and this resulted in the Americans hastening to topple the regime of Saddam Hussein.

“However, following the ouster of Saddam it turned out all American statements were a bunch of lies. To the contrary they created a state of unnecessary turmoil in the region. “In other words, reality showed there was no relationship between Bin Laden and Saddam and that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction. Likewise, reality shows instability has been imposed on Iraq which currently threatens the stability of the Gulf region at large. “These days, the Americans are promoting the same scenario that Iran is likely to attack Israel if the current pressures on Iran persist, indicating Iran will attack Israel through the Palestinians in the West Bank, Hamas in Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Meanwhile, the Americans allege Iran at the moment passes through a state of chaos and difficult economic situations and this shall result in attacks on Israel. Not just that, the Americans claim Hamas and the Palestinians who are currently suffering from starvation as a result of a siege which has been imposed on them by the Israelis, the Americans and some Arabs will attack Israel to force the latter to lift the sanctions imposed on Iran. “In other words, the Americans claim the Palestinians, the victims of the Israeli aggression, threaten the ‘poor and peaceful state - Israel’ to get the sanctions imposed on Iran lifted. Likewise, the Americans claim Hezbollah which was involved in a war against the Zionists following the Israeli destructive war on Lebanon shall wage a new war against Israel in defense of Iran.

“Certainly, the American address in question is not directed at the Arabs nor to their governments, because the latter knows that the American claims in question are a set of lies and that the Americans will not need the Arab consent to attack Iran, rather this American address is directed at the American people and the Iranian leaders. “In other words, President Barack Obama is not different from his predecessor president George W. Bush when it comes to absolute support for Israel’s security to such an extent he is ready to accuse the innocent Palestinians who have been slaughtered by the Israelis in Gaza by claiming the Palestinians are the perpetrators and the Israelis victims. “However, it seems Mr Obama is currently striving to justify his prospective war on Iran and keeping the Iranians under the impression that this war is inevitable to frighten the Iranian leaders and aggravating the state of turmoil on the Iranian streets.

“However, we no longer trust the US administrations be that of Bush or Obama. Likewise, we no longer believe the United States of America will deal fairly with the Palestinian people.
“We say that the Gulf should groom itself for more conspiracies and discords to be posed by both the Americans and the Zionists, particularly if they attack Iran because the latter in turn will attack us.
“Hence, we suggest we must stop purchasing US weapons because they will not benefit during any military confrontation between America and Iran because Tehran can annihilate us through its conventional and chemical weapons and this means it will not need nuclear weapons to attack us.”

Also:
“Earlier, I did not care much about a significant existence of US military bases in our country, motivated by my conviction that these bases will play a logistic role to support the US Army during its invasion of Iraq to topple the defunct Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein,” columnist and former MP Mubarak Al-Duwailah wrote for Arrouiah daily Wednesday.
“Not just that, even after achieving the declared objectives of bringing down the regime of Saddam Hussein, I was never annoyed by the presence of US troops on our territory, simply because I believed these troops will deter those who may try to threaten the independence of our country and our territory.
“Likewise, I was under the impression that these troops will leave our country following the end of the state of tension which currently prevails in the region because Kuwait is strategically situated amid tension.
“But in the wake of the speech given Tuesday by MP Khaled Al-Adwah in the National Assembly, fear crept into me because Al-Adwah has some information which most of us don’t.

“In his speech on the floor of the National Assembly, MP Khaled Al-Adwah has warned our political leadership against any confrontation with Iran by any kind of participation in the US missile network which is likely to be built in the Gulf region.
“However, I do believe the United States of American has a lot of military bases around the world through which it can attack Iran without using the Kuwaiti territories. I also realize the US is tilting to expand the military action. I have also realized that the US had a lot of military bases in the region prior to 2003, but it used our territory as a launch pad to attack Iraq.
“Such being the case, I am afraid the Kuwaiti policy will be subjected to the US policy but we must bear in mind that (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad the Iranian president is not Saddam Hussain.
“The cohesion and support he has from the Iranians for his leadership and his commitment to doctrine was not available in Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein. Not just that, many people in Kuwait are ready to do anything in support of Iran and here rests the danger.”


“The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently published a big advertisement on the front page of the Iraqi government mouthpiece the Al-Sabah newspaper in which it has appealed to the Iraqis who have documents related to looting the State of Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion of the country to soon hand them over to the Ministry,” columnist and Dr Mohammad Alyusefi wrote for Awan daily Wednesday.
“Needless to say this development is a positive measure that has been taken by the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs that shall help lift sanctions imposed on Iraq by the international community about two decades ago.
“Meanwhile, we have heard recently that the Iraqi authorities have arrested some elements of the Iraqi secret service from the City of Ramadi who were responsible for executing our POWs.
“However, we say if the Iraqi government has managed to identify the criminals then they should be brought to justice and this development will place Kuwaiti-Iraqi relations on the right track before achieving a fruitful cooperation between the two countries.
“Recently, a delegation from Basra headed by the governor paid a visit to Kuwait to invite Kuwaitis and the government to invest in projects in Basra which in the past was known as the pearl of the Arabian Gulf given the fact the governorate of Basra has the biggest oil reserves in Iraq and many agreements had been concluded with some foreign oil firms to explore the area.”


“The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently called on all Iraqis to hand over the documents if they have any concerning the looting of property of Kuwait during the invasion of the country by the former Baathist regime in 1990 so that these documents can be handed over to the UN Security Council as per the resolutions issued in this regard by the world body,” prominent Kuwaiti columnist and attorney Mohammad Musaed Al-Saleh wrote for Al-Qabas daily Wednesday.
“Personally, I believe the advertisement placed by the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs in question is based on excessive optimism and goodwill, simply because I don’t think anybody who has documents or property belonging to Kuwait will hand it over to the Ministry, because anybody who is likely to do so will be treated as Saddam’s supporters and will be referred to the relevant court.
“Not just that, it is absurd for anyone to admit to committing theft and then returning the property to the owner. Such being the case, I expect no one to respond to the advertisement place in a newspaper by the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“In other words, the advertisement may help ameliorate the relationship between the State of Kuwait and Iraq and show that the Iraqi Foreign Ministry has spared no efforts to return Kuwaiti documents and properties by appealing to the citizens.
“Meanwhile, the advertisement in question may benefit the Iraqi government if the Kuwaiti government has asked for compensation against the missing documents and properties. Anyway, this is up to the government of Kuwait to decide and I don’t want to interfere in its policies.”


“It looks like it has become a hobby for us - some of our brothers and MPs - to oppose everything. However, at least for once we are pleased to see the government-Parliament reconciliation when it came to approving the government development plan,” columnist Bader Al-Rasheedi wrote for Freedom Journal.
“However, it is sad to see some MPs are trying to muddy the waters and take us back from a phase of accomplishments to the phase of unjustified criticisms.
“I wonder why a few MPs have shown their opposition just for the sake of it. One dear MP announced yesterday the approval of the plan is strange but he has given no clear reasons for his comment. He only said the developmental plan cannot be acceptable based on our detailed study.
“In brief it is easy for us as citizens to determine the reasons for disputes between the executive and the legislature but there are MPs who cannot live without opposing - with justifications or without.”


“About 1,300 applications concerning nutrition elements have gone missing from the Kuwait Municipality,” columnist Fatma Al-Musallam wrote for Al-Shahed daily.
“If these applications are used then the country will end up importing surplus foodstuffs which may not be good for human consumption.
“It is necessary that the Kuwait Municipality takes a decisive action and publish the details in local newspapers and issue new applications if necessary to prevent harm and damage to human health.”


“Al-Seyassah daily published a story on the last page of one of its publications- as reported by KUNA, indicating that soothsayers deceive the Lebanese people and many others, seeing that some of them believe in soothsayers and diviners, to the extent they consult them before taking any step,” Talal Al-Sa’eed wrote for Al-Seyassah daily.
“I wonder why KUNA ignored Kuwait and filed the report about Lebanon, considering the unprecedented level of sorcery and magic activities in Kuwait, taking place in the absence of strict monitoring by officials of the Interior Ministry and its Awqaf counterpart.
“These psychics and soothsayers begin with religious healing, followed by the sale of oil and water bottles for exuberant prices, and then they switch to soothsaying in order to make more money from poor women, whose husbands have abandoned with their children.
“KUNA is going round to portray the Lebanese people as those who believe in soothsayers and readers of glass, due to insecurity and concern about the future of their country, while ignoring open sorcery activities in Kuwait. It is noteworthy there are several billboards, newspaper advertisements, basements and offices, where such activities are openly propagated in Kuwait.”


“The article published in the New York Times about the spread of antimissile systems in the Gulf is a normal reaction to Iran’s activities”, wrote Mutlaq Musaed Al-Ajmi for Awan daily.
“Iran itself knows perfectly well that this is a natural reaction due to the activities it has been undertaking for so long. Iran is a country that can confidently rely on its military resources. It keeps showing its troops and ammunitions off, whether on the ground, in the air or in water.
“The whole world has been accusing Iran of being too eager to manufacture nuclear weapons. Moreover, Gulf countries have been constant victims of Iranian threats, both implied and direct. Under these circumstances, Gulf countries should seriously consider arming themselves. It is their right, after all, to protect their territories and improve their defense systems.”


“The train of development will launch its plan after obtaining approval from the National Assembly to realize our ambitions,” Hassan Al-Muhaimzi wrote for Al-Sabah daily.
“In Tuesday’s parliamentary session, three lawmakers refused to vote on the development plan of the government, contrary to a majority of legislators who approved the plan and its content.
“The lawmakers who are in favor of this plan believe in team work between the legislative and executive authorities.  They think team work leads the country to new phases of development and modernization. 
“They have figured out this is the right step towards the actualization of the vision of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to transform Kuwait into an international commercial and financial hub.”


“We applaud and offer our blessing to the development plan, which has been approved by the National Assembly Tuesday, and we can now boast of a criterion the people can boldly lean on, following the several years of chaos and random legislations we have been witnesses to,” Nabil Al-Fadhal wrote for Al-Watan Arabic daily.
“We are grateful to the Higher Council of Planning for their efforts to gear up the plan, and we are sure Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad will successfully administer it.
“Dr Hassan Jowhar implies accomplishment of the development plan shall be evident of the Kuwaiti democracy, which he termed as a democracy of development and constructions.”


“Over the last decade, the number of traffic casualties recorded each year totaled 400 and it is increasing by around 20 to 30 in Kuwait,” Bassam Al-Shatti wrote for Alam Al-Yawm daily.
“From Jan 27-28, 2010 alone, a large number of people reportedly died in traffic accidents, while 300 to 350 sustain serious injuries every year. About 1,200 individuals suffered from various disabilities due to road accidents over the last 10 years.
“These are alarming figures, considering the roads in Kuwait are vast, organized and well illuminated. It is illogical for roads like these to cause injuries or death to a large number of motorists, especially those who belong to the 18-24 age group.
“According to specialists, the reasons behind most road accidents include speeding, reckless driving, car racing among youths and using mobile phone by hand while driving. We should also disregard other reasons, such as technical faults, unexpected incidents on the roads, and sudden heart attacks or other diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and epilepsy.
“Under such circumstances, we advise all road users, particularly the youth, to strictly comply with the traffic regulations to avoid fatal accidents as human lives are very precious.”


“The Secretariat-General of the National Assembly decided at the beginning of the week to move the chamber of the journalists from the right side of the main entrance of the Parliament to the left in a bid to limit contact between the press, ministers and lawmakers while going in and out of the session hall,” Ahmad Issa wrote for Al-Jarida daily.
“However, the journalists later threatened to stop publishing reports about the Parliament and its members.  The step taken by the journalists was unjustified as the decision lies in the hands of the Secretariat, which has been empowered to decide on such issues.  The Secretariat just wanted to organize relations between officials and journalists as some members of the media have been putting pressure on the officials to obtain press statements and answers to their queries.
“At this point, I want to underscore only a certain fact - there are 88 journalists who cover the parliamentary sessions and write articles about MPs.  Is there any other institution in Kuwait that attracts such media attention?”


“I attended two media symposia this week.  The first took place at Dar Al-Marafie while the other was organized by a colleague, Mahdi Al-Khamis, at the media salon,” Sami Abdullatif Al-Nisf wrote for Al-Anba daily.
“Also present were prominent media personalities and editors-in-chief of local dailies like Al-Hakim Saud Al-Sabe’ei, Dr Mohammad Al-Rumaihi, Waleed Al-Nisf and Ahmed Al-Jarallah, from Arrouiah, Awan, Al-Qabas and Al-Seyassah respectively.  The symposia focused on the problems of the Kuwaiti media.  Everybody attributed weakness or lack of professionalism to inadequate technical and professional training for journalists.
“On the proposed amendments to the Audio-Visual Law, all the participants have agreed on the need to impose light penalties on erring journalists. What disturbs the press from provoking civil war like that of Lebanon?  What is it that can protect national unity from falling victim to media activities?  What can protect human dignity from undue abuse and destructive criticism from those who have not realized the extent of damage cause by their write-ups?
“Like many other countries, Kuwait needs activation of a supreme council for electronic and print media to serve as mediator. This will reduce tension between government and local media, as well as open avenues for desirable professionalism.”


“The fourth anniversary of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah’s ascendancy to the throne, as well as the upcoming celebration of Kuwait’s National and Liberation Days, give us a chance to affirm our commitment to the leadership of the Amir,” Kuwaiti writer and academician Dr Abdullah Al-Ghareeb wrote for Al-Dar daily.
“These occasions are among the happiest moments for Kuwait and its people because these are times for reaffirming our loyalty to the Amir. We also commemorate our liberation from the tyranny of the Iraqi regime, which occupied the country for quite some time.
“Through his wisdom and strength, the Amir led Kuwait during the most difficult times in its history. He has put the name of Kuwait at a higher level in the international community, as well as the Arab and Islamic world.”


“The children of Kuwait started looking forward to further developments and achievements after witnessing full cooperation between the government and Parliament,” Chief of Al-Ajman tribe Sultan Bin Salman Bin Hathlain wrote for Al-Seyassah daily.
“Kuwaitis have proven that they can work together in deciding the future of their country and realizing their objectives. They have fully depended on the leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. When the country celebrated the fourth anniversary of the Amir’s ascendancy to the throne, the citizens highlighted his achievements.
“The Amir has always been a caring father to the Kuwaitis. He is a strong statesman with a long diplomatic and political experience. He is known for his wisdom and dedication to the country.”     

“Notwithstanding the general belief about the government being weak, amid the National Assembly’s bombardments with grilling requests and severe attacks by journalists, objective views and analyses have proven otherwise,” Nasser Al-Mutairi wrote for Al-Nahar daily. “The allies and rivals of the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah can bear out that he has technically survived all crises the government is facing, which led to changes in the ministers, without really affecting him. “The most recent confirmation of Sheikh Nasser’s success is the Al-Sour Channel issue, by which some lawmakers used to incite the public against the government, and the several grilling threats in that regard, which nearly led to the removal of the Minister of Information.
“About 20 lawmakers threatened to grill the Minister of Information on this angle, while they tried to stimulate the public for the same purpose, to no avail. There were four other major incidents before this incident, which could also have affected him, yet he overcame them all.”

— Compiled by Zaki Taleb