Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03ABUDHABI1229
2003-03-15 11:43:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Cable title:  

MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ, PRESIDENT BUSH'S REMARKS ON THE

Tags:  OIIP KMDR TC 
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Cable 
Text: 
 
 
UNCLASSIFIED

SIPDIS
TELEGRAM March 15, 2003


To: No Action Addressee 

Action: Unknown 

From: AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI (ABU DHABI 1229 - UNKNOWN) 

TAGS: OIIP, KMDR 

Captions: None 

Subject: MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ, PRESIDENT BUSH'S REMARKS ON THE 
 ROADMAP, AND AFGHANISTAN. 

Ref: None 
_________________________________________________________________
UNCLAS ABU DHABI 01229

SIPDIS
CXABU:
 ACTION: PAO 
 INFO: ECON AMB POL DCM 
Laser1:
 ACTION: PAO 

DISSEMINATION: PAO
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: PAO:KVANDEVATE
DRAFTED: PAO:AHOSHAN
CLEARED: PAO:TPONCE

VZCZCADI089
OO RUEHC RUENAAA RUEKJCS RUEHZM RUEHLO RUEHFR
RHRMDAB RUCJACC RUCQSOC
DE RUEHAD #1229/01 0741143
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 151143Z MAR 03
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8841
RUENAAA/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEHZM/GCC COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0597
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0658
RHRMDAB/COMUSNAVCENT
RUCJACC/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
RUCQSOC/USCINCSOC MACDILL AFB FL//PA//
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001229 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; 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: IRAQ, PRESIDENT BUSH'S REMARKS ON THE
ROADMAP, AND AFGHANISTAN.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001229

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; 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: IRAQ, PRESIDENT BUSH'S REMARKS ON THE
ROADMAP, AND AFGHANISTAN.


1. SUMMARY: PRESIDENT BUSH'S MARCH 14 REMARKS ON THE ROADMAP
FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE GENERATED EXTENSIVE COVERAGE IN LOCAL AND
REGIONAL MEDIA. "AL-ITTIHAD" DESCRIBED THE REMARKS AS A RENEWAL
OF HOPE FOR ENDING THE SUFFERING OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE.
CONVERSELY, AN "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIAL BELIEVES THE REMARKS MERELY
REPRESENT A POISONED CARROT ON THE EVE OF A U.S. ATTACK AGAINST
IRAQ. FURTHER EDITORIALS COMMENTED ON THE SITUATION FACING THE
U.S., WHICH SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY COUNTRY FOR WAR AGAINST IRAQ.
SIMILARLY, AN 'AKHBAR AL ARAB' EDITORIAL DESCRIBED THE U.S. AS
'ISOLATED' IN ITS DETERMINATION FOR WAR. ON A MUCH NEGLECTED
TOPIC, A 'GULF NEWS' EDITORIAL CHARACTERIZES AFGHANISTAN AS 'THE
STATE FORGOTTEN.' FINALLY, DR. TARIQ SAYF TELLS SADDAM TO "GO TO
HELL." END SUMMARY.


2. COMMENTING ON THE MARCH 14 REMARKS OF PRESIDENT BUSH AND
PRIME MINISTER BLAIR ON THE ROADMAP TO MIDDLE EAST PEACE, SHARJAH-
BASED PAN-ARAB "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/15:

"... THE STATEMENTS OF BUSH AND BLAIR LAST NIGHT ON PALESTINE
REPRESENT ONLY A POISONED CARROT ... TO PAVE THE WAY FOR A
DESTRUCTIVE WAR AGAINST IRAQ AND THE ENTIRE ARAB WORLD ...
WHOEVER WANTS TO RE-IMPOSE THE DARKNESS OF OCCUPATION WOULD
REALLY NOT ALLOW A SOLUTION TO PALESTINE SINCE IT IS THE CORE OF
CONFLICT. THE WAR AGAINST IRAQ IS ONLY PART OF A WIDER PLAN THAT
AIMS TO WIPE OUT PALESTINE AND PASS IT ON TO THE ZIONISTS."


3. DESCRIBING THE INCREASINGLY NEGATIVE ARAB ATTITUDE TOWARDS
THE CRISIS IN IRAQ, DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN"
EDITORIALIZED ON 3/15:

"... ARABS SHOULD REALIZE THAT DEFENDING IRAQ IS A PART OF
DEFENDING THEMSELVES SINCE THE OCCUPATION PLANS DO NOT ONLY
TARGET BAGHDAD BUT ALL ARAB CAPITALS. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS
ANNOUNCED HONESTLY WHEN INDICATING THE NEED TO CHANGE THE MAP OF
THE WHOLE REGION ACCORDING TO THEIR BENEFITS AND THOSE OF ISRAEL.
THERE IS NO SOLUTION EXCEPT TAKING A SERIOUS ARAB STAND IN ORDER
TO STOP THE ANTICIPATED WAR, SO AMERICAN MILITARY ACTIONS WON'T
TARGET ANOTHER VICTIM AFTER FINISHING ITS PLANS AGAINST IRAQ."


4. NOTING A NEW HOPE FOR SOLVING THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE IN BUSH'S
MARCH 14 REMARKS AT THE WHITE HOUSE, ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-
GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/15:


"... STATEMENTS MADE BY PRESIDENT BUSH ON A PLAN TO REALIZE PEACE
IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND AN INDEPENDENT PALESTINIAN STATE RENEWED
HOPES TO END THE TRAGEDY OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND STOP THEIR
SUFFERING ... THE PRACTICAL AND IMPORTANT STEPS THAT SHOULD BE
TAKEN TO DECLARE A PALESTINIAN STATE LIVING SIDE BY SIDE WITH A
SECURE AND RECOGNIZED ISRAEL SHOULD START NOT WITH THE
PALESTINIANS WHO ARE, ACCORDING TO THE BUSH/BLAIR VISION, UNDER
OCCUPATION, BUT WITH AN INTERNATIONAL REQUEST FOR ISRAEL TO CARRY
OUT THE TENS OF INTERNATIONAL RESOLUTIONS WHICH THEY HAVE
IGNORED. THE HOPE OF THE PALESTINIAN DREAM HAS BEEN RENEWED AND
THE ONLY THING LEFT IS TO MOBILIZE ALL EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE IT AND
TURN SUCH A DREAM INTO A LIVING REALITY."


5. COMMENTING ON THE SITUATION FACING U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W.
BUSH, "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/14:

"... A NOTABLE AMERICAN DEMOCRAT, JIM MOURAN, REVEALED THE TRUTH
BY ACCUSING AMERICAN-JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS OF PUSHING WASHINGTON
TO LAUNCH A WAR AGAINST IRAQ. HE ALSO ADDED THAT JEWISH-AMERICAN
LEADERS COULD STOP THE WAR IF THEY DESIRED! THE LONDON 'TIMES'
STATED YESTERDAY: 'THE HAWKS IN THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION ARE
PRESSURING HIM INTO WALKING A PATH OF WAR WITH OR WITHOUT UN
APPROVAL.' ... PRESIDENT BUSH SEEMS TO BE UNDER A ZIONIST SIEGE
AND IS SURRENDERING TO ALL PRESSURE THAT WILL TRAP HIM INTO AN
ATTACK AGAINST IRAQ."


6. DESCRIBING THE U.S. AS 'ISOLATED' IN ITS POLICY TOWARDS IRAQ,
ABU DHABI-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AKHBAR AL ARAB" EDITORIALIZED ON
3/13:

"... WHAT IS STRANGE ABOUT THE IRAQI CRISIS IS THE TRANSFORMATION
OF THE SITUATION, SINCE AFTER TOTAL ISOLATION, BAGHDAD NOW ENJOYS
WIDE SYMPATHY FROM ALL NATIONS OF THE WORLD, NOT OUT OF SUPPORT
FOR THE EXISTING IRAQI REGIME, BUT OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE
PRINCIPLES, ETHICS, AND CHARTERS THAT SUPPORT PEACE AND REJECT
WAR. ON THE OTHER HAND, ALL COUNTRIES ARE BEGINNING TO SEE THE
'DISHONESTY' OF AN AMERICAN POSITION RUSHING TOWARDS A WAR
AGAINST IRAQ WITH NO LEGAL OR OBJECTIVE REASON ..."


7. DESCRIBING AFGHANISTAN AS 'THE FORGOTTEN STATE', DUBAI-BASED
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE DAILY "GULF NEWS" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/15:

"... JUST OVER A YEAR AGO, KARZAI'S GOVERNMENT WAS PROMISED $4.5
BILLION AT THE TOKYO DONORS CONFERENCE, BUT TO DATE ONLY $1.8
BILLION HAS BEEN HANDED OVER. AFGHANISTAN IS SINKING BACK INTO
THE DECENTRALIZED CHAOS UNDER WHICH REGIONAL LEADERS WILL RUN
THEIR AREAS, PAYING LIP SERVICE TO THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT IN
KABUL, WHILE MOVING AHEAD ON THEIR OWN, RAISING THEIR OWN
REVENUES WHERE THEY CAN. WITHOUT STRONG INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT,
THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO GET THE CONTROL THAT
IT NEEDS. AT THE VERY LEAST THE INTERNATIONAL DONORS SHOULD
DELIVER WHAT THEY PROMISED. AFGHANISTAN NEEDS BETTER TREATMENT
THAN TO BE FORGOTTEN AS THE UNITED STATES MOVES ON TO ITS NEXT
TARGET."


8. TELLING SADDAM TO "GO TO HELL," DR. TARIQ SAYF, A UNIVERSITY
PROFESSOR, EDITORIALIZED IN "AL ITTIHAD" ON 3/9:

" THE ARAB FEARS OF WAR CAN BE SUMMED UP AS FOLLOWS: THE FEAR
OF U.S. DOMINATION OVER THE REGION, FEAR OF THE U.S. SUCCESS IN
TAKING CONTROL OF THE RESOURCES OF OIL, AND THE FEAR OF THE
QUESTION OF POLITICAL CHANGE ... AS FOR U.S. DOMINATION AND
CONTROL, I DO NOT THINK THE INTERNATIONAL ORDER, WHICH IS BASED
ON THE UNILATERAL CONTROL OF A SOLE SUPERPOWER, EXCLUDES THE GULF
REGION ... INSTEAD OF ENGAGING IN MEANINGLESS ARAB VITUPERATIONS,
WE SHOULD KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THE DOMINANT U.S. DEVIL ...

CONCERNING OIL, DURING AND AFTER THE GULF WAR, SOME OF THE PEOPLE
... SAID THAT THE UNITED STATES HAD INSTRUCTED SADDAM HUSSEIN TO
ENTER KUWAIT TO ENABLE IT TO TAKE CONTROL OF OIL IN THE GULF
EASILY. THE FOLLOWING YEARS PROVED THAT THIS IS NOT TRUE ... THE
STRANGE THING IN THIS RESPECT IS THAT ARAB THINKERS FROM OUTSIDE
THE GULF ARE THE ONES WHO PAY THE GREATEST ATTENTION TO OIL, AS
IF OIL IS A PART OF ARAB FUNDS.

THE THIRD FEAR IS EXPRESSED BY POLITICAL REGIMES AND SOME OF
THEIR THINKERS ... HERE, SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT THE AMERICANS
HAVE A MAGIC WAND FOR DEMOCRACY. THE TRUTH IS THAT THE UNITED
STATES HAS SO FAR NOT MANAGED TO CHANGE THE POLITICAL STYLE IN
MANY COUNTRIES. SO HOW IS IT GOING TO IMPOSE THAT ON IRAQ AND
OTHER (ARAB) COUNTRIES? YET, EVERYBODY KNOWS FOR SURE THAT
POLITICAL CHANGE IS DEFINITELY FORTHCOMING, SINCE THERE ARE
DOMESTIC REASONS FOR IT AND IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE IMPOSED ONLY
BY THE UNITED STATES.

LET US SET ASIDE THESE ARAB REASONS AND JUSTIFICATIONS AND ASK
THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: HAS ANY SANE ARAB PERSON TRIED TO ASK
HIMSELF - OR HAS ANYBODY ASKED HIM FOR HIS OPINION - ABOUT WHAT
HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO THE IRAQI PEOPLE SINCE 1958, OR
SPECIFICALLY, WHEN THE IRAQI PEOPLE REACHED THE CATASTROPHIC
STAGE OF ITS HISTORY UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF SADDAM HUSSEIN? HOW
CAN A PEOPLE, WHOSE SIZE IS RELATIVELY SMALL AND THAT POSSESSES
HUGE POTENTIAL AND UNLIMITED RESOURCES, LIVE UNDER THIS MISERABLE
SITUATION? ... DID SADDAM SEEK ANYBODY'S ADVICE ON WHAT HE DID?
THEN LET HIM GO TO HELL AND LET HIS REGIME COME TO AN END. HE
HAS DESTROYED HIS PEOPLE'S ABILITY TO BRING ABOUT A CHANGE, AND
THERE IS NO ARAB POWER THAT CAN TOPPLE HIM."

WAHBA