U.S. not Surprised by Saddam’s Kuwait Attack and Invasion

‘Before Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait he invited the then ambassador of the United States of America to Iraq, Avril Gilespie and informed her about his intention to occupy Kuwait. He also told the US envoy that he is committed to all international agreements which Kuwait has signed,’ columnist and businessman Bader Sultan Bin Essa wrote for Al-Seyassah daily. ‘For her part Gilespie said Saddam’s decision to invade Iraq was an Arab issue and that America does not want to interfere in the internal affairs of Arab countries. This statement of US ambassador was quoted at that time by the Iraqi television. This was confirmed by a famous US author in his book after the Iraqi Army was ousted of Kuwait by the coalition troops.

‘America was not surprised by Saddam’s attack on Kuwait and the invasion of the country. General H. Norman Schwarzkopf was quoted as saying America had prepared a plan for Arab Gulf region in case of any surprise attack by Iraq or Iran which might lead to disruption of oil flow from this region. All what Schwarzkopf did was made some amendments to suit with the current situation. ‘Even before invasion, Kuwait was refusing to sign a security pact with America to prevent the latter from interfering in Kuwait’s internal affairs because Kuwait believed signing an agreement and the presence of US forces even in small numbers would provoke Iran or Iraq and even Russia.

‘Avril Gilespie was in a position to strongly reject when Saddam told her during a meeting that he was intending to invade Kuwait because she was representing one of the superpowers in the world. But the ambassador did not do that.

‘America might not have prevented Iraq from invading Kuwait as long as its interests were not threatened and as long as there was no threat to Saudi oil. America thought Saddam would only occupy Kuwait but what the US was not aware the greediness of Saddam did not end there. He was looking to occupy the eastern region of Saudi Arabia which is rich in oil and after his occupation he would negotiate with America and this is what forced him to push his soldiers towards the northern borders of Saudi Arabia in his attempt to occupy Khafji area. It is then that America realized Saddam had deceived the US ambassador.

‘America saw Saddam as a deluded person and an idiot who could be used to contain the Islamic Revolution in Iran which according to America was a permanent threat.’

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‘It is a dangerous precedent if someone thinks that our national unity or social fabric has not been affected after all that has happened on the local arena,’ columnist and former MP Talal Al-Saeed wrote for Al-Seyassah daily.

‘It is in our interest to admit that a big hole has been punched in the wall of our national unity. It is also in our national interest to plug this hole before the wall collapses completely as a result which nobody can deny except those who want to cover the fire with ash.

‘Everyone knows Kuwait is dear to its entire people and in spite of this fact Kuwait’s political arena has become wide open for all kinds of opinions including extremist. Is our national unity so fragile to a point where a small crack widens the gap? Or is it that our national unity is put to the test?

‘History shows our national unity for many years has been a role model for the people of the world. What in particular is happening now? Who is responsible for the latest crisis? Who can repair the damage caused to this unity?

‘We want the concerned authorities neither to ignore what is happening nor make us believe that nothing is happening. The important thing is let us learn from our mistakes for the sake of a better future.’

‘It is obvious that a major conspiracy has been hatched in the entire region beginning from the Gaza Strip where our people have been subjected to murder, torture and starvation by the Zionists to put a dent in their steadfastness and push them to succumb to a humiliating agreement with the Americans in the face of Arab silence,’ columnist Dr Sami Nasser Sarkhouh wrote for Al-Rai daily.

‘Yes, tragedies are ‘made in America’. In Lebanon, the March 14 forces are sounding drums of war with the support of the US administration which has invited warships to the Lebanese coast with the enemy (Israeli) army preparing for a new aggression against the Lebanese resistance.

‘As the danger signs are lurking around the corner some Arab embassies have advised their citizens to leave Lebanon fearing for their safety should Beirut erupt into another war. The Americans are seeking to abort the forthcoming Arab summit in Damascus and weaken Syria to make Damascus an easy political and militarily target.

‘This is one of the reasons why some Arab regimes have not shown any enthusiasm to participate in the summit at the level of heads of state by putting unattainable conditions before the summit such as the election of a Lebanese president.

The US administration is saving no efforts against those who stand against its project in the region. It is now creating a tense situation against Iran by stoking the file of Tehran’s nuclear project. A likely war against Iran is aimed at weakening its influence on Iraq and putting an end to its support to forces of liberation and resistance in Palestine, Lebanon and even in Syria.

‘We can say for sure that the crises in Kuwait are not different from the political game played by the US Administration in the region until it has been proved otherwise.’

‘The Jews have been blackmailing the world since World War II against the backdrop of the Holocaust. They suffered at the hands of the Nazis and instead of using this suffering to promote peace and protect human rights, the Jews applied it against the Palestinians, and the Gaza Strip became a replica of the Ghetto and the alley of the Jews who were besieged by the Nazis in some European cities. Now the Palestinians are suffering from starvation, siege, submission and daily killings,’ MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei wrote for Al-Watan daily.

‘The practices of the Jews are expected and it is part of their religious faith based on racism. God has told us who they are. It is strange the West sympathizes with the victims of the Nazis but do not apply the same attitude towards the new victims Ñ I mean the Palestinians. It is also strange the US President failed to condemn the atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza saying the Jews have a right for self-defense.

‘One-and-a-half million Palestinians in Gaza are punished because Hamas won the elections. Yes this is the US democracy in the Middle East and the Fatah Group and the remnants of Yasser Arafat who have lost their credibility in Palestine are part of the war in Gaza and conspiring against their people. Meanwhile, the Information Minister of the Palestinian Authority has released a statement saying the al-Qaeda is present in Gaza. Is it not a cover for Israel to continue killing the people and destroy this sector of Palestine? Primarily the intelligence service of the Palestinian Authority should be implicated in the massacre for cooperating with their Israeli counterparts in tracking down the Mujahedeens in Gaza.

‘What is taking place in Gaza is a big tragedy and a scandal committed by the so-called ‘international community and the ‘free world’ by granting Israel a license to kill in the name of defending its security.’

‘On Sunday Feb 17, 2008, Kosovo announced its independence from Serbia with full support from the United States of America and a majority of the European Union states. Twenty-four hours following this announcement and in spite of protests from Serbia and Russia many countries including the US and major European nations Ñ Britain, German, France, Italy, etc, recognized the independence,’ columnist Basel Al-Jaser wrote for Al-Anba daily.

‘But what is strange among those who rushed to recognize Kosovo none of them are Muslim or Arab states. I don’t know why but it makes no sense except the reason that I can think of are fears that recognition might encourage ‘some’ to follow suit. Thus they prefer to ignore the issue or perhaps they have other political calculations which we are not aware of.

‘In spite of this fact until we know the logic and reason we will consider it as disaster for the Kosovo Muslims because no support has been coming from the Muslim or Arab countries.’