Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02AMMAN3861
2002-07-15 12:27:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

JORDAN: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ

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 SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 003861

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: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ


SUMMARY

FOR FOUR DAYS (FRIDAY -MONDAY JULY 12-15) JORDANIAN
DAILIES WERE DOMINATED BY OFFICIAL DENIALS (BY THE
PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS) OF
MEDIA REPORTS THAT JORDAN WOULD ALLOW THE U.S. TO USE
ITS TERRITORY TO LAUNCH AN ATTACK AGAINST IRAQ. ON
SUNDAY JULY 14, THE MAIN STORY WAS THE JORDANIAN
GOVERNMENT'S STATEMENT ON FORMER CROWN PRINCE HASSAN'S
PARTICIPATION IN THE MEETING OF IRAQI DISSIDENT
OFFICERS, WHICH DESCRIBED THE PRINCE'S MOVE AS A
PERSONAL ACT THAT DOES NOT REFLECT JORDAN'S POINT OF
VIEW, AND OF WHICH NEITHER THE LEADERSHIP NOR THE
GOVERNMENT HAD PRIOR KNOWLEDGE.

MANY EDITORIAL WRITERS DEVOTED THEIR COLUMNS TO
SUPPORTING JORDAN'S OFFICIAL POSITION AND ATTACKING THE
MEDIA REPORTS OF JORDAN'S PARTICIPATION IN AN ATTACK ON
IRAQ, WHICH THEY DESCRIBED AS A "VICIOUS MEDIA CAMPAIGN
AGAINST JORDAN" ORIGINATING IN THE U.S. ACCORDING TO
SOME WRITERS.


NEWS REPORTS

ON FRIDAY JULY 12, ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES LED WITH
REPORTS ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE, WHICH
HE CALLED FOR EXPRESSLY TO DENY MEDIA REPORTS THAT
JORDAN WOULD BE USED AS A BASE FOR AN ATTACK ON IRAQ.
ABUL RAGHEB STRESSED THAT THERE ARE NO U.S. TROOPS IN
JORDAN, AND THAT THERE IS NO UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN
JORDAN AND THE U.S. TO USE JORDANIAN TERRITORY OR
AIRSPACE FOR AN ATTACK ON IRAQ NOW OR IN THE FUTURE.
THE PRIME MINISTER ALSO INVITED JOURNALISTS TO VISIT
ANY JORDANIAN MILITARY BASES TO PROVE TO THEM THAT
THERE ARE NO U.S. TROOPS THERE. DAILIES ON THE SAME
DAY REPORTED THE SAME MESSAGE BEING GIVEN BY MINISTER
OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS MARWAN MU'ASHER IN A SPEECH BEFORE
THE JORDANIAN MEDIA FORUM, A PRIVATE MEDIA
ORGANIZATION.

ON SATURDAY JULY 13, DAILIES REPORTED THE ASSERTION
THAT JORDAN WOULD NOT BE USED AS A BASE TO STRIKE IRAQ
NEITHER NOW NOR IN THE FUTURE, THIS TIME FROM THE
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS MU'ASHER WHO WAS IN CAIRO
ATTENDING THE ARAB COORDINATION MEETING. DAILIES ALSO
REPORTED THE LONDON MEETING OF IRAQI DISSIDENT
OFFICERS, BUT FAILED TO MENTION THE PARTICIPATION OF
FORMER CROWN PRINCE HASSAN IN THAT MEETING.

ON SUNDAY JULY 14, THE MAIN NEWS ITEM WAS THE MINISTER
OF INFORMATION'S STATEMENT THAT PRINCE HASSAN'S
PARTICIPATION IN THE LONDON MEETING OF IRAQI DISSIDENT

OFFICERS "WAS A PERSONAL ACT THAT DOES NOT REFLECT
JORDAN'S POINT OF VIEW." THE MINISTER ALSO EXPRESSED
"SURPRISE" AT THE PRINCE'S BEHAVIOR, AND ASSERTED THAT
"NEITHER THE LEADERSHIP NOT THE GOVERNMENT HAD PRIOR
KNOWLEDGE OF IT." ON THE SAME SUBJECT, INDEPENDENT,
MASS-APPEAL ARABIC DAILY AL-ARAB AL-YAWM QUOTED PRINCE
HASSAN AS SAYING THAT "I HAVE COME IN MY PERSONAL
CAPACITY AND I AM NOT AN OFFICIAL OF THE JORDANIAN
GOVERNMENT."

ON MONDAY JULY 15 THE PRIME MINISTER AVAILED HIMSELF OF
HIS MEETING WITH ARAB LEAGUE SECRETARY-GENERAL AMRE
MUSSA TO REAFFIRM THAT: "JORDAN REJECTS MILITARY ACTION
AGAINST IRAQ," AND THAT "THERE ARE NO AMERICAN BASES IN
JORDAN."


EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES

-- JORDAN IS NOT THE LAUNCHING GROUND OF THE ATTACK
PROMINENT DAILY COLUMNIST FAHED AL-FANEK WROTE IN SEMI-
OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON JULY 12:
"JORDAN IS PROUD TO HAVE POLITICAL PLURALISM THAT
ENCOMPASSES AND ALLOWS FREE EXPRESSION TO MANY
POLITICAL POINTS OF VIEW. HOWEVER, THERE IS TOTAL
UNANIMITY OVER JORDAN'S REJECTION OF MILITARY
AGGRESSION AGAINST IRAQ. HOW CAN THE U.S., WHICH
CLAIMS TO ADVISE US ON WAYS TO DEVELOP DEMOCRACY IN
JORDAN, ASK THE GOVERNMENT TO GO AGAINST THIS POPULAR
CONSENSUS AND TAKE PART IN ITS AGGRESSION AGAINST OUR
BROTHERS?"

-- THE MAGIC TURNED AGAINST THE MAGICIAN
PROMINENT DAILY COLUMNIST FAHED AL-FANEK WROTE IN SEMI-
OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON JULY 13:
"THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THOSE WHO BEAT THE DRUMS OF WAR
IN THE PENTAGON WOULD LOVE FOR JORDAN TO TAKE PART IN
THE AGGRESSION AGAINST IRAQ; BUT THEY WANTED TO KNOW
JORDAN'S ANSWER BEFORE POSING THE QUESTION, SO THEY
GAVE LEAKS TO THE NEWSPAPERS. THIS TRIAL BALLOON,
HOWEVER, BURST BEFORE TAKING OFF. WE WONDER IF THESE
MENDACIOUS AND MALIGNANT LEAKS WERE THE WORK OF THE
PENTAGON'S OFFICE OF STRATEGIC MISINFORMATION."

-- THE MEDIA CAMPAIGN AGAINST JORDAN...DIMENSIONS AND
OBJECTIVE
DAILY COLUMNIST RAKAN MAJALI WROTE IN CENTER-LEFT,
INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON SATURDAY JULY
13: "MODERATE VOICES IN THE WEST WARN AGAINST THE
MILITARIZATION OF POLITICS AND THE MEDIA IN THE U.S. AS
IN A NEW ROME OR NAZISM IN MODERN GUISE. GOBLES
FOUNDED THE THEORY THAT SAID: `KEEP REPEATING THE LIE
UNTIL FINALLY PEOPLE BELIEVE IT.' BUT THE INDUSTRY OF
LIES AND FABRICATED STORIES IN TODAY'S MEDIA
IMPERIALISM HAS BECOME A REFINED ART. DURING THE PAST
FEW DAYS JORDAN FACED A VIRULENT MEDIA CAMPAIGN FULL OF
MENDACIOUS ALLEGATIONS THAT JORDAN WOULD BE A PARTNER
IN THE AGGRESSION AGAINST IRAQ WITH WHICH THE U.S. HAS
THREATENED SINCE THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION REACHED
POWER. THE PROGRAMMED MEDIA PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE
JORDANIAN CATEGORICAL DENIALS, NOR DO THEY PAY ANY
ATTENTION TO THE TRUTH. INSTEAD THEY CONTINUE TO
REPEAT THEIR LIES WITH OBVIOUS ILL INTENT."

-- IRAQI OPPOSITION AND THE AMERICAN ALTERNATIVE
DAILY COLUMNIST YASSER ZA'ATREH WROTE IN CENTER-LEFT,
INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON JULY 15: "THE
STORY IS NOT ABOUT SADDAM HUSSEIN AND HIS REGIME, AND
THE AMERICANS ARE NOT CONCERNED WITH THE SUFFERING OF
THE IRAQI PEOPLE. WASHINGTON NEEDS A VICTORY TO MAKE UP
FOR ITS FAILED WAR AGAINST WHAT IT CALLS TERRORISM, AND
IT NEEDS TO PLEASE THE ZIONIST LOBBY AND THE CHRISTIAN
REPUBLICANS. NOTHING WOULD PLEASE THESE TWO MORE THAT
STRIKING IRAQ. THE DANGER IS NOT LIMITED TO IRAQ. IT
THREATENS THE WHOLE REGION. BUT THE LEADERS OF IRAQI
OPPOSITION NEED URGENTLY TO RECONSIDER THEIR PRESENT
POLICIES BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT ASSISTING A WAR AGAINST
SADDAM HUSSEIN, BUT AGAINST THEIR NATION." GNEHM