“WHAT surprises me is to see the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaking. It looks like as if he is inspired by Almighty Allah,” columnist Ghassan Al-Otaibi wrote for Al-Qabas daily Wednesday.
“When he speaks it looks like he is protected by an unseen power and guarded by angels. However, there is no stopping him and his balderdash until the black ‘end’. But this doesn’t mean we are afraid of statements issued by Ahmadinejad from time to time - the threats to strike at our territories as if we are an ostrich and will bury our head or sitting ducks.

“In this context, we would like to tell Ahmadinejad and the others that we are Bedouins and we will not show any leniency to those who try to violate our rights. Not just that, we will oppress anyone who commits any kind of aggression against us.

“Likewise, Ahmadinejad and his alike must bear in mind that we are Bedouins and warriors. His statements will not terrify us, because we are ready to encounter those who try to attack us. The prospective aggressor must keep in mind that we the Arabs are the people who always hoist the flag of jihad and history is a witness to this testimony.

“We say the above, because we still hear some threatening voices from Iran in the name of defending Iran, ignoring the fact that their pertinent statements will bear no fruit but bring disaster for Iran.

“In other words, by doing so they are burning and destroying Iran in the name of defending it and this is a big stupidity. Here we wonder, which parties the Iranians will fight. Will they fight all Muslims when they claim they will wage wars for their sake?

“Let us presume that the prospective war between Iran and the United States of America begins. Let us presume Iran launches its long-range missiles and nuclear bombs on the periphery of the Arab region and we wonder who will be the loser. In other words, will the United States of America will be the loser? Certainly not because the missiles fired by Iran cannot reach US coasts. Will Israel will be the loser? The answer again is ‘No’.

“So who will be the loser? There is no doubt the sole losers will be the Arab Muslims because the Arabs in particular will be trapped between the hammer and the anvil during any war that is likely to erupt between Iran and the United States of America.
“Consequently, Ahmadinejad must realize in advance that all Arabs — Sunnis and Shiites or Copts — will reject his policy, because all Arabs belong to a single homeland and nation.”

Also:
“The Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Al-Sabah was recently quoted as saying ‘The Gulf for us is Arabian Gulf and for Iran it is the Persian Gulf,” columnist Salah Al-Sayer wrote for Al-Anba daily Wednesday.
“This statement reflects a balanced Kuwaiti official approach in dealing with the issue which some Iranians are currently trying to transform into a subject of conflict and this was evident when they issued suspicious statements of extremist nature over the water borderline which currently separates the two banks of the Gulf.

“In spite of such a diplomatic gravity which has been shown by Kuwait, we found Sheikh Dr Mohammad Al-Sabah lashing out strongly at the Iranian media to such an extent the latter has accused him of not knowing the history as if reading history is a monopoly practiced only by the concerned Iranian media agency given the fact this agency doesn’t reflect the spirit of fraternity between the Iranians and the Arabs. This agency knows nothing about the position of Sheikh Dr Mohammad Al-Sabah in the hearts of Kuwaitis.

“Meanwhile, we would like to point out that the statement issued recently by the Kuwaiti ambassador to Iran over the ‘historical’ name of the Persian Gulf and the statement issued by the Kuwaiti foreign minister in this regard, is an unfair mix between politics and history.
“In this context, we elucidate the statement which has been attributed to the Kuwaiti ambassador in Iran was made in the framework of history, while the statement issued by the Kuwaiti Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs came in the framework of politics.
“In other words, Persia in history is something different from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Such being the case, we wonder, how the Iranian media requests us to abide by history when they themselves have shunned it.”

“The usurped Al-Aqsa Holy Mosque is currently facing barbaric attacks by vicious hands which are stained with the blood of the innocent Palestinian people,” columnist Dr Mubarak Al-Therwa wrote for Al-Rai daily Wednesday.
“The Jews have violated everything. They had defiled the Arab nation’s dignity. What has been said by the Jews and their leader Benjamin Netanyahu about Israel’s right to the Al-Ibrahimi Mosque and the Belal Ben Rabah Mosque in an attempt to annex it to the Jewish heritage, calls for sarcasm and this move is surprising because given the current struggle between the Arabs and Israel historical and religious lining will not be good for the peace process in the Middle East. Such being the case, this struggle should have remained in the framework of the political problems between the Arabs and the Israelis.
“We say the above, because we saw the Jews daringly trespassing onto the Al-Aqsa Holy Mosque campus and shooting at the worshippers. Now the question is: Do the Jews want to silence the worshippers and prevent them from performing their religious rituals?
“However, the practices in question represent a historical Jewish habit which has to be changed. In this context, we cite the history of the Jews who are known to have killed the Prophets and have never abided by either the agreements of treaties.
“In this context, we recall how the late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat did his utmost to conclude peace accords with them in a bid to save the blood of both the Palestinians and the Jews. Not just that, the peaces accords which were concluded between Israel and some Arab countries, have yet to bear fruit.

“The Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police Force, Lieutenant-General Dhahi Al-Khalfan has given to the world the detail of the criminal operation which was carried out by the Israeli secret service (Mossad) to assassinate one of the leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in a hotel in Dubai during January,” columnist Dr Jawad Al-Matrouk wrote for Al-Seyassah daily Wednesday.
“Al-Mabhouh entered Dubai on a Syrian passport, not Iraqi as it was published before. He was staying in room No. 103 of the Al-Bustan Hotel (Rotana) of Dubai. Initially, it was believed his death was natural. But the concerned authorities in Dubai withheld the remains of the man for more investigation and tests because the deceased was a Syrian national.

“But what drew the attention of the authorities in United Arab Emirates in general and that of Dubai police in particular, are the repeated statements by Hamas that the dead man is one of their leaders and not a Syrian citizen.
“However, the repeated demands of Hamas raised many doubts in the minds of the Dubai authorities and they ignored the Hamas request for the man’s remains. However, later one Gulf country which has robust relations with Hamas intervened and requested Dubai to hand over the corpse of the deceased to Hamas.
“On the background of this scenario, the authorities in Dubai were determined to intensify their investigations to reveal the implications of the death. However, later the UAE discovered Mabhouh was killed by professional assassins. Not just that, they also discovered the killers entered the country using British, Irish, French, Australian and German passports.
“For his part, Lieutenant-General Dahi Al-Khalfan has shown a film to the media captured by the CCTV cameras of the Dubai International Airport how the killers arrived in the country before going to their hotels in the Emirate.”

“Anyone reading about the number of cases, individuals and issues referred to the public prosecution in local dailies will wonder how many criminals, miscreants and swindlers are there in this country,” columnist Abdulrahman Al-Najjar wrote for Al-Watan Arabic daily.
“Many cases against senior and junior employees are referred by ministers or their undersecretaries to prosecution and the cases just get piled up at Public Prosecution offices and the pressure increases on investigators.
“However, after investigation, the prosecution and sometimes the courts give clean chit to these so-called culprits. In fact, most ministries don’t investigate accusations properly and just transfer the cases to prosecution without even providing enough evidence against the accused. In some cases, the real criminals get away without punishment due to ministries’ negligence in providing evidence.
All authorities should make thorough investigations before transferring any case to prosecution and should only punish officials who commit mistakes.”

 “The Ministry of Information continues to be a source of crises due to too much of interference and wrangling. The problems in the ministry can be compared to a nuclear head which will any time explode in the face of the minister holding the portfolio,” columnist Madi Al-Khamees wrote for Awan daily.
“The Information portfolio is a difficult assignment and a minister appointed for this ministry should solely concentrate on it. I think Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah was pressurized into accepting this portfolio. I feel it’s time we found a solution to this problem and take a cue from other Arab states which did away with this ministry altogether.”

“In a sudden and unexpected turn of events, the Parliamentary Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs unanimously approved a decision which allows the Parliament to hold sessions without the presence of government representatives,” columnist Bader Al-Rasheedi wrote for Freedom Journal.
“We all know that the approval of both authorities — legislative and executive — is required to pass any bill, but the Legislative Committee’s decision is an attempt to deprive the government of its right to express its opinion on various issues in the Parliament. It seems the National Assembly is trying to oppress the government.”

“The Popular Labor Bloc is alarmed at the reactions and lack of support towards the feeble interpellation it submitted against Minister of Information and Oil Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah,” columnist Hassan Al-Mehaizmi wrote for Al-Sabah daily.
“The bloc failed in its attempt to spread rumors about lack of government’s support to Al-Abdullah as the Cabinet announced it will stand by its minister. Also, the majority in Parliament is trying to send indications that the bloc did not read the picture correctly.
“Now, the bloc only has surprise as the weapon, as its spokesman claimed. The bloc should, however, accept defeat before it is forced to dissolve itself.”

“The issue of withdrawing citizenship from persons who have already received it is noteworthy and needs to be discussed by members of the National Assembly. I would make this issue a priority if I were one of them”, Hassan Mohammad Al-Ansari wrote for Al-Dar daily.
“It is said the well-known Lebanese singer Farid Al-Atrash was not granted Egyptian nationality regardless of his respected artistic achievements, buildings and lands he owns, and the long period he stayed there.
“Moreover, Britain has begun applying strict and difficult procedures to grant citizenship, although it was once easy to obtain, while the entrance visa procedure has become complicated.
“According to news published in some newspapers, we observed some of the citizenship files lack official documents and do not meet conditions to have obtained nationality. This is really odd at a time when all countries across the globe have toughened official procedures in such sensitive areas”.

 “In spite of all observations or viewpoints about the recent inauguration of the Independent Kuwaiti Forum being a new political bloc, and the likely criticism of its ideologies and links, formation of the bloc speaks immensely about developing the political institution,” Ahmad Al-Dayyen wrote for Alam Al-Yawm daily.
“The bloc’s existence is important at this crucial period considering the political unit in the past few years, besides other related incidents, which have always led to unusual and diversionary outlooks during electioneering and parliamentary activities.
“Formation of the bloc and the previously inaugurated 11/11 Bloc should give access to further agitation for legalizing the formation of full-fledged political parties, as the non-existence of political parties is a major puzzle to democratic practice in the country. It is already belated and there should not be further delay in consolidating political structure in our system”.

“A few days ago, we discussed the grilling proposal against Information Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, where we uncovered the motive behind the game. This grilling suggestion is baseless, and it will definitely be unsuccessful,” AbdulAmeer Al-Turki wrote for Al-Shahid daily.
“During our discussion, it was realized those behind the grilling keep distracting people, as they hide their shameful acts in their so— called protection of public funds. They keep people busy with their loud voices and weak excuses on grilling.
“These individuals stricken by grilling fever continue assuring there are surprises to be revealed on the grilling day, and I know they are mere bubbles in the air. They just want to divert people’s attention from the multi-million dinar contracts they sign. Strangely, the lawmaker Ali Al-Deqbasi is involved in the case”.

“It is surprising a country like Kuwait could owe up to $1.2 million for traffic violations in New York through our diplomats, which the government is yet to pay,” Dr Ghanim Al-Najjar wrote for Al-Jareeda daily.
“Only those who contributed to the accumulated debt could explain the reasons for the default in payment. Based on information I received through our dear son studying in the US Hammad Al-Bloushi, all diplomats exhibit the culture and civilization of their respective countries except Kuwaiti diplomats, who seem not to understand their responsibilities.

“The fact that Kuwait is second to Egypt in this kind of violation created an embarrassing situation in a lecture hall of the school where I teach. Kuwait is also the only GCC nation included in the top 10 countries on the list of parking lot law violation.
“I wish the Kuwaiti government paid the fines or possibly deducted $1.2 million from the donation made to assist the State of Louisiana on a disaster it recently experienced. The problem has reached a stage whereby a New York lawmaker Anthony Winner recommended that US should deduct amounts owed by the affected countries from aid they are supposed to get from America, because 85 percent of them are beneficiaries of US aid. Why did Kuwait commit such high level of traffic offences?”

“We appreciate the decision taken by the Council of Ministers to activate the report presented by the Thamer Committee to investigate irregularities detected with naturalization of some people, who are said to have submitted illegal documents,” Ahmed AbdulMohsen Al-Mulaifi wrote for Al-Nahar daily.
“The issue was discussed at length in the last parliamentary session, even as some people tried to trigger doubts with the case, and the Minister of Interior Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid is working tirelessly to uncover all violations. Most importantly, legal proceedings should be taken in that regard, considering complications which might develop, in case the issue is delayed any further”.

 — Compiled by Zaki Taleb