Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02AMMAN3422
2002-06-25 07:21:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

MEDIA REACTION ON PRESIDENT BUSH'S SPEECH

Tags:  KMDR JO 
pdf how-to read a cable
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS AMMAN 003422

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR,
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN
USAID/ANE/MEA
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL
USCINCCENT//CCPA, USCENTCOM REAR MACDILL AFB FL
STATE PASS TO AID

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: KMDR JO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON PRESIDENT BUSH'S SPEECH


Summary

-- President Bush's speech presenting the U.S.
administration views on the Middle East is the lead
story in all papers published today, June 25. Major
headlines focus on the President's call for a change
of the Palestinian leadership and highlight his vision
of a Palestinian state within three years. Text of
speech is carried in the inside pages in all papers.
Only one editorial so far comments on the speech.
More are expected tomorrow.

Editorial Commentary

-- "Disappointing speech"

Center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour
(06/25) editorializes: "In his long-awaited speech,
President Bush gave Sharon all the time he needs to
exercise his destructive policies in the region; took
away from the Palestinians their hope of being free
and independent; and deprived the Arabs of the feeling
that the United States can really be an honest broker
in the Middle East. The President's speech did not
carry a peace plan as much as it carried blatantly
impossible conditions, that would not solve the
Palestinian issue, but would emphasize the concept of
Israeli force that treads on Palestinian people,
divides up their lands and their villages, and
deprives them of the simplest of their rights. Bush
should have begun his speech by urging both the
Palestinians and the Israelis to resume negotiations,
by ordering Sharon to pull out his troops from
Palestinian territories, by calling for restarting the
peace process from where it stopped, because what is
on the ground is occupation and resistance to
occupation. Bush's speech was disappointing. It
completely ignored Arab initiatives and places
Israel's interests and Sharon's ideas high on the list
of priorities. We believe that this vision of Bush
will not lead to peace, rather to more tension in the
region."
GNEHM