JORDAN MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ, THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 003968

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 COMMITTEE


SUMMARY

JORDANIAN DAILIES ON JULY 18 REPORTED THAT KING
ABDULLAH WOULD MEET WITH PRESIDENTS CHIRAC AND BUSH IN
TWO WEEKS, THE PROGRESS OF THE QUADRIPARTITE MEETING IN
WASHINGTON, AND PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR'S COMMENT
THAT MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ WOULD NOT REQUIRE A
NEW UN RESOLUTION.

EDITORIAL WRITERS COMMENTED ON IRAQ AND THE
QUADRIPARTITE MEETING


NEWS REPORTS

JORDANIAN DAILIES ON JULY 18 ALL REPORTED THAT KING
ABDULLAH WOULD MEET WITH FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES
CHIRAC AND PRESIDENT BUSH IN THE NEXT FORTNIGHT.

ON THE QUADRIPARTITE COMMITTEE MEETING, DAILIES
REPORTED PRESIDENT BUSH'S COMMENT THAT PROGRESS HAS
BEEN MADE, THAT THE COMMITTEE SUPPORTS THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF A PALESTINIAN STATE, THAT IT IGNORED
THE CALL TO MARGINALIZE ARAFAT, AND THAT A TEAM OF
EXPERTS UNDER AMERICAN LEADERSHIP WILL HELP REFORM THE
PALESTINIAN SECURITY SYSTEM. FOREIGN MINISTERS MUASHER
AND MAHER OF JORDAN AND EGYPT WERE QUOTED AS SAYING
THAT PRESIDENT BUSH'S POSITION REGARDING ARAFAT WOULD
NOT HANDICAP PEACE.

CENTER-LEFT, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR GAVE
FRONT-PAGE COVERAGE TO BRITISH PRIME MINISTER'S REMARKS
THAT MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ DOES NOT REQUIRE A
NEW UN RESOLUTION.


EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES

-- FROM DEFENSE TO ATTACK
PROMINENT JORDANIAN COLUMNIST FAHED AL-FANEK WROTE IN
SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON JULY
18: "THE COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN THE REPORTS ON JORDAN'S
ALLEGED COLLUSION IN THE AMERICAN AGGRESSION AGAINST
IRAQ DOES NOT INDICATE THEIR TRUTH, RATHER THAT THEY
CAME FROM THE SAME SOURCE. THIS MISINFORMATION
CAMPAIGN PUT JORDAN ON THE DEFENSIVE. BUT NOW IS THE
TIME TO MOVE FROM DEFENSE TO OFFENSE. THE FOREIGN
AGGRESSION BEING PLANNED AGAINST IRAQ IS NOT PLANNED
AGAINST SADDAM HUSSEIN ONLY, AS THE SCHOOL OF THOUGHT
THAT DERIVES ITS WISDOM FROM THE CIA CLAIMS. IT IS AN
AGGRESSION AGAINST THE STATE AND PEOPLE OF IRAQ, AND
AFTER IRAQ WOULD COME THE TURN OF SYRIA, LEBANON,
SUDAN, LIBYA, YEMEN, AND SO ON. NEUTRALITY IN THE FACE
OF THIS AGGRESSION DOES NOT FULFILL THE AMBITIONS OF
JORDAN. WE SHOULD REJECT THE AGGRESSION IN EVERY
LEGITIMATE WAY POSSIBLE. OTHERWISE, WHAT IS THE
MEETING OF ARAB NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE ARAB TREATIES
OF MUTUAL DEFENSE?"

-- THE OTHER FACE OF THE QUADRIPARTITE MEETING
DAILY COLUMNIST RAKAN AL-MAJALI WROTE IN CENTER-LEFT,
INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON JULY 18: "IT IS
VERY CLEAR THAT THERE ARE OBJECTIVES TO THE
INTERNATIONAL QUADRIPARTITE MEETING CONTRARY TO THOSE
THAT ARE DECLARED. THE MEETINGS CONCENTRATED ON THE
AMERICAN CAPRICIOUSNESS AND INTRANSIGENCE REGARDING
ARAFAT, IGNORING THE SUPPOSEDLY MAIN TOPIC OF
DISCUSSION, WHICH IS TO RESOLVE THE CONFLICT AND END
THE TRAGEDY IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES. IT
HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT ALL PAST INITIATIVES AND PROMISES
WERE ILLUSORY, AND PRETEXTS WERE FOUND TO POSTPONE
INDEFINITELY. SIMILARLY, THE TALK ABOUT REFORMING THE
PNA AND CHANGING ARAFAT IS PART OF THE OLD SCENARIO
WHICH HAS ONE OBJECTIVE: TO CREATE ILLUSIONS THROUGH
FALSE PROMISES AND COVER UP FOR THE LACK OF ANY
INTENTION TO PROVIDE A REAL SOLUTION."

-- THE MEETINGS OF NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON
PROMINENT DAILY COLUMNIST URAIB AL-RANTAWI WROTE IN
CENTER-LEFT, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON
JULY 18: "WASHINGTON FAILED TO PERSUADE THE
QUADRIPARTITE COMMITTEE TO EXILE ARAFAT, BUT IT
SUCCEEDED IN A MORE IMPORTANT PURSUIT, IMPOSING THE
AMERICAN VISION OF ADDRESSING DIFFERENT TRACKS IN
SUCCESSION, NOT IN PARALLEL. WHEN SECURITY BECOMES THE
PREREQUISITE FOR STARTING TO FULFILL ISRAEL'S
OBLIGATIONS, IT MEANS GIVING THE FUTURE OF THE PEACE
PROCESS IN THE HAND OF A PARTY THAT REJECTS PEACE ON
IDEOLOGICAL GROUNDS. EITHER WAY, THE MEETINGS SHED SOME
LIGHT ON WHAT IS POSSIBLE INTERNATIONALLY AT THE
PRESENT STAGE, AND THIS CONSOLIDATES OUR PESSIMISTIC
ASSESSMENT THAT THE VACUUM IN THE REGION WILL CONTINUE
UNTIL NEXT SPRING AT LEAST." GNEHM