LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
PAGE 01 KUWAIT 00352 221109Z
12
ACTION NEA-10
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 PM-04 H-02 INR-07 L-03
NSAE-00 NSC-05 PA-01 PRS-01 SP-02 SS-15 USIA-06 SAM-01
OMB-01 IO-11 /070 W
--------------------- 095819
R 220930Z JAN 76
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO YZCSTATE WASHDC 4535
INFO AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
AMEMBASSY AMMAN
AMEMBASSY CAIRO
AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
AMEMBASSY DOHA
AMEMBASSY JIDDA
AMEMBASSY MANAMA
AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
USINT BAGHDAD
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE KUWAIT 0352
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: PINT, KU LE
SUBJ: KUWAPSI NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OPINION ON LEBANON HARDENS
1. KUWAIT NATIONAL ASSEMBLY APPROVED FIVE-POINT RESOLUTION ON
LEBANON JANUARY 20 WHICH ILLUSTRATES DEEPENING SENSE OF FRUST-
BRATION WITH LEBANESE CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP AS WELL AS IMPOTENCE
OF OUTSIDE ARAB FORCES THUS FAR TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT SITUATION.
ALTHOUGH THERE IS ALMOST NO CHANCE THAT ANY OF THE RESOLUTIONS
WILL BE IMPLEMENTED BY GOK, THE ASSEMBLY MOVE IS AN INTERESTING
AND TO SOME EXTENT ALARMING REMINDER OF EXTENT TO WHICH KUWAITIS
NOW SEE LEBANON IN TERMS STRICTLY OF CONFESSIONAL STRUGGLE.
RESOLUTION IS VIEWED LOCALLY AS SIGNIFICANT INDICATOR OF NEW AND
GENUINE PUBLIC CONCERN.
2. RESOLUTION INCLUDES MOTIONS CALLING FOR (A) WITHDRAWAL OF ALL
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
PAGE 02 KUWAIT 00352 221109Z
KUWAITI CAPITAL ON DEPOSIT IN LEBANON (B) DEPORTATION OF ALL
PHALANGISTS WORKIRG IN KUWAIT (C) THE HOLDING OF ANOTHER ARWT
SUMMIT (D) EXTENSION OF AID TO PALESTINIAN AND THEIR MOSLEM
SUPPORTERS IN LEBANON AND (E) SYRIAN INTERVENTION IMMEDIATELY.
MOVE WAS LED BY NASIHSTE AND ARAB NATIONALIST MEMBERS OF THE
ASSEMBLY, BUT IN THE END WAS PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
3. EMBASSY DOES NOT BELIEVE MOTION TO WITHDRAW KUWAITI CAPITAL
WOULD HAVE MUCH EFFECT EVEN IF IMPLEMENTED. OUR IMPRESSION IS
THAT GOK HAS RELATIVELY LITTLE MONEY PLACED IN BEIRUT BANKS AND
THAT, AT ANY RATE, MOST OF WHAT THERE WAS HAS ALREADY BEEN WITH-
DRAWN. CALL TO DEPORT PHALANGISTS IN KUWAIT IS ALSO UNLIKELY TO
RECEIVE ANY OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT, BUT SOME PRIVATE WITCHHUNTS
HAVE ALREADY BEGUN. TWO MEMBERS OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, KHALID
KHALAF AND KHALID AL-MAS'UD, STORMED INTO FASHIONABLE
RESTAURANT YESTERDAY AND ORDERED ITS OWNER, A LEBANESE CHRISTIAN
WHO ALLEGEDLY SUPPORTS PHALANGE, TO CLOSE. UGLY SCENE FOLLOWED
WHICH POLICE EVENTUALLY HAD TO SETTLE. LEBANESE CHRISTIAN COMM-
UNITY IN KUWAIT (ONE MEMBER OF WHICH IS RAUL JUMAYYIL, BROTHER
OF PIERRE) IS SMALL BUT IT IS COMPRISED PRIMARILY OF WELL-HEELED
BUSINESSMEN. THE POTENTIAL FOR OTHER INCIDENTS AGAINST THEM
WILL INCREASE PROPORTIONATE TO INDICATIONS THAT PARTITION OF
LEBANON IS IN CARDS.
4. FINALLY, FROM GOK'S POINT OF VIEW, THE POSSIBILITY OF UGLY
TURN AGAINST ITS LEBANESE CHRISTIAN RESIDENTS IS THE LAST THING
IT NEEDS. GOK HAS IN RECENT MONTHS HAD ITS SUNNI-SHI'A PROBLEMS
AND SOME COOLING OF RELATIONS WITH LARGE LOCAL PALESTINIAN
COMMUNITY. THERE IS ALSO CONCERN THAT THE TIFF WITH THE SHAH OVER
PERSIAN VERSUS ARABIAN GULF NOMENCLATURE WILL CAUSE RESTIVENESS
AMONG KUWAIT'S IRANIAN MINORITY. TO SOME REAL EXTENT, SABAH
FAMILY SEES IN THE LEBANON A SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN
PARALLEL TO ITS OWN, AND IS DEFINITELY CONCERNED AT LONG-RANGE
POSSIBILITY THAT HISTORY COULD AT SOME POINT REPEAT ITSELF HERE
UNLESS LESSONS OF THE LEBANON ARE LEARNED.
MAU
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
NNN