JORDAN: MEDIA REACTION ON KING'S WASHINGTON

UNCLAS AMMAN 004067

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 KING'S WASHINGTON
VISIT, IRAQ, OCCUPIED TERRITORIES


SUMMARY

NEWS REPORTS IN JORDAN'S DAILIES COVERED THE ISRAELI
BOMBING OF A RESIDENTIAL AREA IN GAZA, MUASHER'S
COMMENTS ON KING ABDULLAH'S FORTHCOMING VISIT TO
WASHINGTON, THE SIGNING OF A JORDANIAN-IRAQI TRADE
PROTOCOL, AND THE COMPLETION OF NEW AMERICAN MILITARY
CAMPS IN KUWAIT AND QATAR.

EDITORIAL COLUMNISTS WROTE LARGELY ON THE ANNIVERSARY
OF THE EGYPTIAN REVOLUTION AND THE SETTLEMENT OF THE
SPANISH-MOROCCAN TENSION. ONE EDITORIALIST COMMENTED
ON THE OPTIMISM OF THE ARAB FOREIGN MINISTERS AND
ANOTHER ABOUT RADIO SAWA.


NEWS REPORTS

THE LEAD STORY IN JORDANIAN DAILIES ON JULY 23 REPORTED
THE "NEW ISRAELI MASSACRE IN GAZA" IN WHICH "12 MARTYRS
AND 150 WOUNDED FELL AS AN F-16 BOMBED A RESIDENTIAL
AREA."

ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES REPORTED FOREIGN MINISTER MARWAN
MU'ASHER'S STATEMENT THAT KING ABDULLAH'S FORTHCOMING
VISIT TO PARIS AND WASHINGTON RELATES TO "HE
PREPARATION OF A CLEAR PLAN TO END THE OCCUPATION AND
ESTABLISH A PALESTINIAN STATE BY MID-2005."

ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES REPORTED ON THEIR FRONT PAGES THE
SIGNING OF A JORDANIAN-IRAQI PROTOCOL TO EXPAND TRADE
EXCHANGES AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION.

ALL DAILIES ALSO REPORTED ON THEIR FRONT PAGES THAT THE
U.S. HAS COMPLETED THE CONSTRUCTION OF ADDITIONAL
MILITARY CAMPS IN KUWAIT AND QATAR.


EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES

-- THE OPTIMISM OF ARAB MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
PROMINENT COLUMNIST DR. FAHED AL-FANEK WROTE IN SEMI-
OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON JULY 23:
"REPORTS SAY THAT THE ARAB MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
CAME BACK FROM THEIR MEETING WITH THEIR AMERICAN
COUNTERPART HAPPY, BECAUSE THE SITUATION, AS IT
APPEARED TO THEM, WAS NOT AS BAD AS THEY EXPECTED AFTER
BUSH'S SPEECH OF JUNE 24. CLEARLY THE THREE MINISTERS
LOOKED FOR SOMETHING POSITIVE AND FOUND SOME, ALBEIT
OBSCURE ONES DEVOID OF MECHANISMS FOR THEIR
IMPLEMENTATION, AND AKIN TO WISHFUL THINKING. THE ARAB
MINISTERS HAVE COME BACK EMPTY HANDED REGARDING
PALESTINE AND WITH EVEN LES REGARDING IRAQ. WASHINGTON
STILL INSISTS ON STRIKING IRAQ AND CHANGING ITS REGIME
TO PROTECT ITS NEIGHBORS DESPITE THEMSELVES, THEREBY
LAUNCHING ITS FIRST WAR THAT IS NOT PRECEDED BY ANY
PROVOCATION, WITHOUT ALLIES, AND AGAINST AN ENEMY THAT
HAS NOT TOUCHED ITS INTERESTS."

-- SUCCESS BY IMITATION
NABIL AL-SHARIF, CHIEF EDITOR OF CENTER-LEFT,
INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR WROTE ON JULY 23:
"THE LAST BASTION OF ARAB MEDIA, THE YOUTH AUDIENCE,
HAS NOW FALLEN. ANYONE WHO DOUBTS THE ENORMITY OF WHAT
HAS HAPPENED NEEDS ONLY TO ASK THE YOUTH WHICH IS THEIR
FAVORITE RADIO STATION, AND HE WILL DISCOVER THAT IT IS
THE AMERICAN RADIO SAWA. BEFORE WE BREAK INTO WAILS OF
LAMENTATION, WE SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS STATION
HAS SUCCEEDED IN ATTRACTING ARAB YOUTH THROUGH ITS HIGH
PROFESSIONALISM AND ITS SENSITIVITY TO WHAT THE YOUTH
WANT. WE SHOULD ALSO ADMIT THAT THIS ATTESTS TO THE
FAILURE OF THE ARAB MEDIA. IT IS EASY TO POINT THE
FINGER OF BLAME AND CHARGE THAT THIS STATION SEEKS TO
BRAINWASH OUR YOUTH. IT WOULD BE BETTER TO ASK: `WHAT
DO WE OFFER TO THE YOUTH AS AN ALTERNATIVE?'
FURTHERMORE, SINCE WE CANNOT SUCCEED BY INNOVATION,
SHOULD WE NOT TRY TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS BY IMITATION?"
GNEHM