Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02AMMAN3860
2002-07-15 12:27:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

JORDAN: MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ, THE

Tags:  KMDR JO 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 003860

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: KMDR JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ, THE
QUADRIPARTITE MEETING

SUMMARY

NEWS REPORTS IN JORDAN'S DAILIES ON JULY 15
CONCENTRATED ON THE IRAQI SITUATION, QUOTING THE PRIME
MINISTER'S REAFFIRMATION THAT JORDAN REJECTS MILITARY
ACTION AGAINST IRAQ, AND DENIAL OF THE EXISTENCE OF
U.S. BASES IN JORDAN. REPORTS ALSO COVERED THE IRAQI
OFFICERS' MEETING IN LONDON, THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH'S
REPORT FORESEEING THAT BRITISH FORCES WOULD OCCUPY IRAQ
FOR FIVE YEARS, AND A/S WOLFOWITZ'S STATEMENT THAT
THERE WOULD NOT BE A KURDISH STATE IN NORTHERN IRAQ.
ON THE QUADRIPARTITE MEETING, SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL
ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI REPORTED THAT THE U.S. WOULD SUBMIT
A PLAN TO LIMIT THE POWERS OF ARAFAT.

EDITORIAL WRITERS COMMENTED ON THE QUADRIPARTITE
MEETING AND WHAT THEY CONCLUDED ID THE U.S. WAR ON
ISLAM.



NEWS REPORTS

ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES ON JULY 15 REPORTED PRIME
MINISTER ALI ABUL RAGHEB'S STATEMENT MADE AFTER HIS
MEETING WITH ARAB LEAGUE SECRETARY-GENERAL AMR MUSSA,
IN WHICH HE REAFFIRMED THAT JORDAN REJECTS A MILITARY
STRIKE AGAINST IRAQ, AND THAT THERE ARE NO U.S. BASES
IN JORDAN.

JORDANIAN DAILIES ALSO REPORTED THE MEETING OF IRAQI
OFFICERS IN LONDON, WHICH FORMED A MILITARY COUNCIL TO
LEAD CHANGE IN IRAQ. CENTER-LEFT, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC
DAILY AL-DUSTOUR LED WITH THE REPORT FROM THE SUNDAY
TELEGRAPH QUOTING "LEAKS" THAT BRITISH FORCES WOULD
OCCUPY IRAQ FOR FIVE YEARS. INDEPENDENT, MASS-APPEAL
ARABIC DAILY AL-ARAB AL-YAWM REPORTED ON THE FRONT PAGE
AS WOLFOWITZ'S STATEMENT THAT THERE WOULD NOT BE A
KURDISH STATE IN THE NORTH OF IRAQ.

SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI REPORTED
AN AMERICAN PLAN TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE QUADRIPARTITE
MEETING IN WASHINGTON, WHICH AIMS TO LIMIT THE POWERS
OF ARAFAT.


EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES

-- WILL THE QUADRIPARTITE MEETING BECOME A QUINTET?
DAILY COLUMNIST MAHMOUD AL-RIMAWI WROTE IN SEMI-
OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON JULY 15:
"INTERNATIONAL PARTIES, INCLUDING RUSSIA, ARE WORRIED
THAT THE QUADRIPARTITE COMMITTEE MAY COLLAPSE BECAUSE
OF THE ENORMOUS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE U.S. AND THE
OTHER MEMBERS. HOWEVER, THESE DIFFERENCES, NO MATTER
HOW SHARP, ARE BETTER THAT WASHINGTON SUCCEEDING IN
FORCING ITS WILL ON RUSSIA AND/ OR EUROPE. THIS
HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ARAB PARTICIPATION IN
THE COMMITTEE FOR TWO REASONS: THE FIRST IS TO AFFIRM
THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL POSITIONS ON THE
CONFLICT, AND THE SECOND TO RESTORE SOME DIALOGUE
BETWEEN THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT AND THE REST OF THE
U.S. ADMINISTRATION, WHICH HAS COMMITTED ITSELF TO THE
LETTER OF THE ISRAELI AGENDA, THUS MAKING THE U.S. A
PARTNER IN THE OCCUPATION."

-- AMERICAN REFORMS BETWEEN DICTATORSHIPS, TERRORISM,
AND CORRUPTION
COLUMNIST ARAFAT HIJAZI WROTE A LENGTHY COMMENTARY IN
CENTER-LEFT, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON
JULY 15 IN WHICH HE SAID: "THE U.S. POSES AS THE SELF-
APPOINTED GUARDIAN OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE WORLD, WHICH
IS PROMPTED BY HUMANITARIAN REASONS TO LIBERATE THE
DOWNTRODDEN PEOPLE FROM THEIR CORRUPT AND VILE
DICTATORS, ALL OF WHOM HAPPEN TO BE ARABS OR MUSLIMS.
BUSH THE FATHER COULD NOT FIND A SINGLE DICTATOR IN THE
WORLD EXCEPT IRAQ, SO HE DESTROYED THE IRAQI POWDERED
MILK FACTORY, THE AMIRIYAH SHELTER WHERE WOMEN AND
CHILDREN WERE HIDING FROM THE AMERICAN BOMBING, AND
PLACED IRAQ UNDER A SIEGE THAT KILLED OVER A MILLION
CIVILIANS. THEN THE U.S. MOVED TO FIGHT TERRORISM, SO
IT DESTROYED A PHARMACEUTICAL FACTORY IN SUDAN AND
BOMBED THE HOVELS OF THE POOREST COUNTRY ON EARTH,
AFGHANISTAN. FINALLY, BUSH THE SON DECLARED HIS WAR ON
CORRUPTION, AS DEFINED BY THE PALESTINIAN LEADERSHIP,
AND GAVE A MANDATE TO THE WAR CRIMINAL AND MASS
MURDERER SHARON TO USE AMERICAN WEAPONS TO DESTROY IT.
THE ISRAELI ARMY DID NOT ASSASSINATE OR ARREST A SINGLE
CORRUPT PALESTINIAN. INSTEAD THEY PROCEEDED TO
MASSACRE WOMEN AND CHILDREN AND DESTROY THEIR HOUSES,
AS THE AMERICANS DID IN AFGHANISTAN. THESE WARS ARE
PRETEXTS FOR THE REAL WAR THAT BUSH THE SON DECLARED
SOON AFTER TAKING POWER, AND WHICH HE LATER DESCRIBED
AS A SLIP OF THE TONGUE, WHEN HE DECLARED THAT HE WOULD
LEAD A CRUSADE TO BRING PEACE TO THE WORLD, AS IF
POINTING TO MUSLIMS AS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL IN THE
WORLD." GNEHM