JORDAN: MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ, OCCUPIED

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 004179

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, OCCUPIED
TERRITORIES

SUMMARY

NEWS REPORTS IN JORDAN'S DAILIES ON JULY 29 HIGHLIGHTED
KING ABDULLAH'S CNN INTERVIEW, IN WHICH HE REAFFIRMED
JORDAN'S REJECTION OF MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ.
THEY ALSO REPORTED THE ISRAELI RAID ON HEBRON BY ARMY
UNITS AND SETTLERS, UNDER THE HEADLINE: "ISRAELI
TERRORISM SACKS HEBRON."

A NUMBER OF DAILY EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES DID NOT APPEAR
IN THEIR USUAL SPOT ON JULY 29. OF THOSE THAT DID,
COMMENTATORS CRITICIZED REPORTS THAT THE U.S. WOULD
RESUME THE INTERCEPTION OF SHIPS IN AND OUT OF AQABA,
AND THE U.S. DOMINATION OF THE UN. ONE EDITORIALIST
ADVISED PALESTINIANS NOT TO RETALIATE AGAINST THE
ISRAELI RAID ON GAZA BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE SWALLOWING
SHARON'S BAIT.


NEWS REPORTS

THE LEAD STORY IN ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES ON JULY 29 WAS
KING ABDULLAH'S INTERVIEW WITH CNN AFTER HIS MEETING
WITH THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER AND BEFORE HIS MEETING
WITH PRESIDENT BUSH. THE NEWSPAPERS HIGHLIGHTED THE
FOLLOWING QUOTES:
- DIALOGUE IS THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE WAY TO DEAL WITH THE
IRAQI SITUATION
- WE HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT DISCUSS WITH THE U.S. THE
USE OF JORDANIAN TERRITORY FOR A STRIKE AGAINST IRAQ
- WE HAVE RECEIVED AN APOLOGY FROM U.S. OFFICIALS FOR
CIRCULATING RUMORS ABOUT THE USE OF JORDANIAN TERRITORY
FOR MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ
- WE ARE VERY CAUTIOUS ABOUT GETTING INVOLVED IN THE
WEST BANK BECAUSE WE DO NOT WANT TO SEND THE WRONG
MESSAGE
- PALESTINIANS ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE CONCERNED WITH
THEIR POLITICAL OPTIONS AND THEY SHOULD DECIDE THEIR
FUTURE.


ALL DAILIES CARRIED ON THEIR FRONT PAGES AGENCY REPORTS
THAT IRAQ HAS MADE PREPARATIONS TO CONFRONT THE
"AMERICAN AGGRESSION."

SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI PLAYED
DOWN, WHILE OTHER DAILIES REPORTED ON THE FRONT PAGES
REPORTS ABOUT THE ISRAELI ATTACK ON HEBRON, UNDER
HEADLINES SUCH AS: "ISRAEL TERRORISM SACKS HEBRON."


EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES

-- THE SIEGE OF AQABA AGAIN
LEADING JORDANIAN DAILY COLUMNIST FAHED AL-FANEK WROTE
IN SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON
JULY 29: "THERE ARE REPORTS THAT THE U.S. RED SEA FLEET
PLANS TO REINSTATE THE SIEGE ON AQABA, GIVING ITSELF
THE RIGHT TO INTERCEPT AND SEARCH SHIPS ENTERING OR
LEAVING THE PORT TO ASSURE THAT THE RULES OF THE SIEGE
ON IRAQ ARE RESPECTED. IF TRUE, THIS STUPID AMERICAN
DECISION DESERVES THE STRONGEST CONDEMNATION BECAUSE IT
MEANS THAT THE U.S., DOES NOT TRUST JORDAN DESPITE THE
LATTER'S RESPECT FOR INTERNATIONAL RESOLUTIONS, UNJUST
THOUGH THEY ARE. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, WE DO NOT SEE
THE U.S. IMPOSE A SIMILAR SIEGE ON THE PORTS OF SYRIA,
TURKEY, IRAN, OR THE EMIRATES. IT SINGLES OUT JORDAN,
WHICH SHOWS DISRESPECT FOR THIS COUNTRY'S SOVEREIGNTY."

-- SHARON BOMBED A READY PALESTINIAN SECURITY PLAN
DAILY COLUMNIST SULTAN HATTAB WROTE IN SEMI-OFFICIAL
INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON JULY 29: "WHEN
EXTREMIST ELEMENTS IN ISRAEL LEARNED THAT THERE WAS A
POSSIBILITY OF THE SUCCESS OF THE PALESTINIAN PLAN THAT
WAS WORKED OUT UNDER ARAB AND INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE,
AND WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
AGENCIES, THESE ISRAELI AGENCIES, WITH THE COLLUSION OF
SHARON, WORKED TO ABORT THE PLAN BY CONDUCTING THE RAID
ON GAZA. SHARON NOW WANTS MORE ISRAELIS TO BE KILLED,
AND HE WANTS PALESTINIAN RETALIATIONS, THE SEEDS OF
WHICH HE SOWS BY HIS AGGRESSION, BECAUSE THIS PROLONGS
HIS GOVERNMENT'S LEASE OF LIFE AND THE CONTINUATION OF
HIS PLANS OF USURPING PALESTINIAN RIGHTS AND PREVENTING
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PALESTINIAN STATE."

-- THE UN, OWNED BY THE U.S.
DAILY COLUMNIST MAZEN AL-SAKET WROTE IN CENTER-LEFT,
INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON JULY 29: "WHEN
COUNTRIES DECLARE THEMSELVES OPPOSED TO MILITARY ACTION
AGAINST IRAQ, AND OUT OF FEAR OF THEIR AMERICAN MASTERS
THEY SHYLY HIDE BEHIND THE LACK OF A UN RESOLUTION, THE
SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THIS ORGANIZATION HASTENS TO

SIPDIS
SUSPEND TALKS WITH IRAQ. AFTER THE ISRAELI MASSACRE IN
GAZA, THE U.S. LAID A CONDITION TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL
THAT ANY RESOLUTION ON THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE SHOULD
CONDEMN PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE AND DESCRIBE IT AS
TERRORISM. THE UN HAS BECOME A TOOL OF ITS OWNER, THE
U.S., SIMILAR TO THE ARAB POLITICAL JOKE ABOUT
POLITICAL PLURALISM." GNEHM