MEDIA REACTION: DEMOCRACY AND WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000112

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP (LMALENAS),NEA/P (ACASPER),NEA/PPD
(JDAVIES, CBOURGEOIS),INR
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH; PARIS FOR O'FRIEL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: DEMOCRACY AND WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN
UAE POLITICS MEPI IRAQ NORTH KOREA AFGHANISTAN



1. SUMMARY: DEMOCRACY AND THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN
POLITICAL LIFE WERE THE DOMINANT ISSUES IN THE UAE MEDIA. WHILE
NOTING THE UAE PEOPLE ARE ENTHUSIASTIC AND INTERESTED IN
DEMOCRACY, UAE COLUMINST MOHAMMED AL HAMADI ARGUED IN "AL
ITTIHAD" THAT THERE IS A NEED TO LEARN DEMOCRACY BEFORE
PRACTICING IT. AS FURTHER SUPPORT, A RECENT POLL BY THE "AL
KHALEEJ" SHOWED 83% OF NATIONALS SUPPORT INCREASED PARTICIPATION
FOR WOMEN IN UAE POLITICAL LIFE, AND 96% AGREE ON THE ENTRY OF
WOMEN IN THE LABOR MARKET.


2. AT THE SAME TIME, IN AN "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIAL, NAEEM QADAH
DESCRIBED MEPI AS A CONSPIRACY TO ACHIEVE ISRAELI AMBITIONS.
COMPARING THE MOVE TOWARDS WAR WITH IRAQ WHILE NEGOTIATING WITH
NORTH KOREA, AN "AL BAYAN" EDITORAL ASKED THE U.S. TO DEAL WITH
IRAQ LIKE NORTH KOREA AND DEMONSTRATE JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS IN ITS
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. FINALLY, IN A GULF NEWS FEATURE ARTICLE
ENTITLED "HELPING AFGHAN WOMEN," KAVITHA DANIEL REVIEWS THE
EFFORTS OF WOMEN FOR WOMEN, AN AMERICAN VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION,
TO HELP AFGHAN WOMEN FIND A BETTER FUTURE FOR THEMSELVES DESPITE
THE LACK OF INTERNATIONAL FUNDING FOR RECONSTRUCTION. END
SUMMARY.


3. REFERRING TO DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON MEPI, UAE COLUMNIST
MOHAMMED AL HAMADI WROTE IN ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-OFFICIAL "AL
ITTIHAD" ON 1/8:

"... THE UAE PEOPLE ARE ENTHUSIASTIC AND INTERESTED IN DEMOCRACY,
THE SAME AS OTHER PEOPLE IN THE WORLD ... I BELIEVE THERE IS A
BIG GAP BETWEEN THE PRACTICE OF DEMOCRACY ON THE GROUND AND THE
DESIRE TO DO SO. IN THE UAE AND OTHER GULF COUNTRIES, APPLYING
DEMOCRACY SUDDENLY AND IMMEDIATELY IS NOT THE CORRECT CHOICE.
BESIDES, IT IS A DANGEROUS STEP, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS NOT THE
REAL DESIRE OF THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE AT THE MOMENT, THOUGH THERE
ARE MANY WHO INSIST IT IS. THIS DOES NOT MEAN PEOPLE DO NOT WANT
DEMOCRACY, BUT BECAUSE MANY ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT."


4. SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB "AL KHALEEJ" PUBLISHED THE RESULTS OF
A POLL BY ITS STUDIES UNIT ON THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN
POLITICAL LIFE ON 1/8. THE POLL SURVEYED 700 NATIONALS AND
SHOWED 83% AGREE ON THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN POLITICS:

"... 7 OUT OF 10 NATIONALS BELIEVE TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS ARE THE
BIGGEST OBSTACLES TO WOMEN FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE NATIONAL COUNCIL
OR A MINISTERIAL POSITION ... 20% OF NATIONALS BELIEVE THERE IS
DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN ... THE UAE SOCIETY TODAY IS
MORE WILLING TO ACCEPT THE EXPANSION OF THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN
POLITICAL LIFE; ONE-THIRD OF NATIONALS BELIEVE STRONGLY THAT
WOMEN MUST TAKE A LEADING POLITICAL POSITION WHERE AS HALF OF
NATIONALS BELIEVE WOMEN MUST HAVE A PRESENCE IN POLITICS ... 68%
OF NATIONALS AGREE ON WOMEN TAKING A MINISTERIAL POSITION ... 81%
OF NATIONALS SUPPORT THE MEMBERSHIP OF WOMEN IN THE NATIONAL
COUNCIL. 59% ALSO AGREE ON WOMEN TAKING A LEADING POSITION IN
DIPLOMACY ... 65% OF NATIONALS DO NOT AGREE ON WOMEN BEING
JUDGES, 28% AGREE AND 13% STRONGLY AGREE ... THE ENTIRE UAE
POPULATION AGREES WOMEN SHOULD JOIN THE LABOR MARKET WITH ONLY A
MINOR EXCEPTION. 53% STRONGLY AGREE ON WOMEN'S WORK, 43% AGREE
IN PRINCIPLE, AND ONLY 4% DISAGREE, I.E., 96% OF NATIONALS AGREE
ON THIS ISSUE ... THE ENTRY OF WOMEN INTO THE LABOR MARKET IS ONE
OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SOLUTIONS TO THE CURRENT DEMOGRAPHIC
IMBALANCE. IT WILL REDUCE THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF THE HIGH RATE
OF FOREIGN LABOUR IN VITAL AND SENSITIVE SECTORS OF THE NATIONAL
ECONOMY."


5. UNDER THE HEADLINE "THE U.S. INITIATIVE IS A CONSPIRACY TO
ACHIEVE ZIONIST AMBITIONS," NAEEM QADAH WROTE IN "AL KHALEEJ" ON
1/7:

"... THE WORLD DOES NOT HATE THE U.S. IT HATES CONTRADICTION,
DOUBLE STANDARDS, AND AN IMMORAL BIAS ... LINKING POWELL'S
PROJECT OF POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC REFORMS IN THE ARAB WORLD WITH
REFURBISHING THE U.S. IMAGE IN THE REGION MEANS THE SUCCESS OF
THE PROJECT IS LINKED WITH A BETTER IMAGE. FACTS INDICATE THIS
IS IMPOSSIBLE AS LONG AS U.S. POLICY IN THE REGION IS SUBJECT TO
ISRAELI POLICY ... ALL EVIDENCES AND INDICATIONS FROM WASHINGTON
IMPLY THE U.S. WILL NEVER CONSIDER ANY SUGGESTION OR COMMENT
AFFECTING ISRAELI INTERESTS. IF THE U.S. IS REALLY KEEN ON
PROMOTING REAL DEMOCRACY, IT WILL WORK TO REMOVE OBSTACLES TO
PEACE ... ONE QUESTION MUST BE ADDRESSED BY COLIN POWELL: WHO
WILL BE CONVINCED OF WHAT YOU SAY, SECRETARY, WHEN THEY SEE THE
DAILY ORGANIZED KILLING OF PALESTINIAN CHILDREN, WOMEN, AND
ELDERS DURING THEIR SLEEP, OR WHEN THEY SEE THE U.S. AND U.K.
MILITARY BUILD-UP PLANNING TO CONSUME IRAQI OIL AND RE-OCCUPY THE
REGION IN 19TH-CENTURY STYLE?"


6. COMMENTING ON U.S. DOUBLE STANDARDS TOWARDS NORTH KOREA AND
IRAQ, DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED ON
1/8:

"... NOBODY WANTS THE AMERICANS TO TREAT NORTH KOREANS IN THE
SAME HORRIBLE MANNER THEY DO IN IRAQ. WE ASK AMERICANS TO TREAT
IRAQIS IN RECIPROCAL WAY (LIKE NORTH KOREA). THIS IS THE MINIMUM
AMOUNT OF JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS WE CAN ASK FOR INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS..."


7. ASSESSING THE SUCCESS OF AMERICAN AND INTERNATIONAL
RECONSTRUCTION EFFORTS IN AFGHANISTAN, A SPECIAL FEATURE ENTITLED
"HELPING AFGHAN WOMEN" BY KAVITHA DANIEL IN THE ENGLISH DAILY
GULF NEWS COVERS THE WORK OF WOMEN FOR WOMEN, AN AMERICAN
VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION, TO TRAIN AFGHAN WOMEN TOWARDS SELF-
SUSTAINABILITY WHILE COMMENTING ON THE LACK OF IMPROVEMENT IN
AFGHANISTAN. EXCERPTS INCLUDE:

"...IN ITS INTERACTION WITH THE 1,200 WOMEN RECRUITED OFF THE
STREETS OF KABUL, THE GROUP FOUND THESE ILLITERATE, UNSKILLED,
AND SOMETIMES DISPLACED, WOMEN WILLING TO BE TRAINED FOR ANY
ACTIVITY TO EARN MONEY, SAYS (LINA) ABIRAFEH (COUNTRY DIRECTOR OF
WOMEN FOR WOMEN),WHO IS IN THE UAE TO MEET DONORS AND
PHILANTHROPISTS TO RAISE AWARENESS AND FUNDS..."

"...ACCORDING TO HER (ABIRAFEH),DESPITE A YEAR OF
RECONSTRUCTION, THERE ARE NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT IN
AFGHANISTAN. INCREASED RATES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN HOUSEHOLDS
HAS BEEN A FALLOUT OF HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT LEVELS..."

"A HOST OF OTHER WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS ARE ALSO WORKING TO
IMPROVE THE CONDITIONS, BUT LACK OF FUNDS HAS FORCED THEM TO WORK
FROM PROJECT TO PROJECT, SAYS ABIRAFEH."

WAHBA