UNCLAS ABU DHABI 001266

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: AZORES SUMMIT, IRAQ, AND PRESIDENT
BUSH'S STATEMENTS


1. SUMMARY: THE AZORES SUMMIT GENERATED EXTENSIVE COVERAGE IN
LOCAL AND REGIONAL PRINT AND SATELLITE MEDIA. LOCAL AND REGIONAL
MEDIA ALSO COVERED THE OPENING CEREMONY OF AND US PARTICIPATION
IN THE 6TH INTERNATIONAL DEFENSE EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE (IDEX
2003). IN AN UNUSUAL EDITORIAL CRITICIZING THE IRAQI REGIME, 'AL
KHALEEJ' DESCRIBED THE ANTICIPATED WAR AS 'THE THIRD WAR,'
CLAIMING THAT IRAQ WAS LARGELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CALAMITIES OF
THE REGION. OTHER EDITORIALS CONTINUED TO VOICE THEIR DISCONTENT
WITH US DETERMINATION TO WAGE A WAR AGAINST IRAQ. END SUMMARY.


2. ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT 'AL ITTIHAD' AND DUBAI-BASED
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE DAILY 'KHALEEJ TIMES' HIGHLIGHTED REMARKS BY
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UAE MARCELLE WAHBA AT THE IDEX 2003
OPENING CEREMONY. ARTICLES QUOTED THE AMBASSADOR'S PRAISE OF UAE
PRESIDENT SHEIKH ZAYED BIN SULTAN AL NAHYAN'S INITIATIVE FOR A
PEACEFUL RESOLUTION TO THE CONFLICT WITH IRAQ AS WELL AS HIS
SUPPORT FOR PEACE WORLDWIDE.


3. 'AL KHALEEJ' CARRIED ON 3/15 AN INSIDE-PAGE REPORT WITH
PHOTOS OF A GROUP OF STUDENTS AT THE UAE UNIVERSITY IN AL AIN
DEMONSTRATING AGAINST U.S. POLICY TOWARDS THE CRISIS IN IRAQ.


4. COMMENTING ON THE AZORES SUMMIT YESTERDAY, DUBAI-BASED
BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/17:

"... GOING TO WAR WITHOUT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S APPROVAL
IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DEATH OF INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY AND
POSSIBLY THE UN. WITH THE HOUR OF WAR DECIDED, WE HOPE A
MIRACLE, WHICH EVERYONE IS DREAMING WILL OCCUR, WILL RESULT IN
THE DIFFUSION OF WAR. BUT WILL THE DREAM COME TRUE?"


5. IN AN UNUSUAL EDITORIAL CRITICIZING THE IRAQI REGIME AS THE
CAUSE FOR THE REGION'S CALAMITIES, SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB "AL
KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/17:

"... EVERYONE IS CONVINCED, WHETHER THEY ARE ACCEPTED OR NOT
ACCEPTED, THAT THE WAR IS KNOCKING ON OUR DOORS, BUT THE IRAQI
REGIME IS STILL TRYING TO GAIN TIME, TO PLAY WITH TIME, AND IS
DEALING WITH THE CRISIS IN EASY INSTALLMENTS. ALTHOUGH IRAQ HAS
RESPONDED TO UNSC RESOLUTION 1441, YET VERY SLOWLY, JUST LIKE ITS
HABIT OF DEALING WITH IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT WOULD AVERT THE
IRAQIS MORE TRAGEDIES. THE CRISIS OF THE FIRST GULF WAR IS STILL
IN THE AIR, AND THE CRISIS OF THE SECOND GULF WAR, RESULTING FROM
THE CRIMINAL INVASION OF KUWAIT, IS STILL GOING ON AS WELL. IN
ORDER TO STOP THE CRISIS OF A THIRD GULF WAR, INITIATIVES AND
SINCERE ADVISE WERE GIVEN TO THE IRAQI REGIME TO CHANGE ITS
ATTITUDE AND TO HELP PAVE THE WAY FOR A PEACEFUL SOLUTION.
HOWEVER, THE REGIME HAS IGNORED ALL OF THIS INSTEAD OF CLOSING
OPENINGS FOR WAR ..."


6. COMMENTING ON TODAY'S MEETINGS AT THE AZORES SUMMIT, 'AL
KHALEEJ' EDITORIALIZED ON 3/16:

"THE SUMMIT THAT WILL BE HELD TODAY IN THE AZORES ISLANDS BETWEEN
US PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH, UK PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR, AND
SPANISH PRIME MINISTER JOSE MARIA AZNAR IS REALLY A 'WAR SUMMIT.'
THESE THREE LEADERS HAVE DESTROYED ALL BRIDGES LEADING TO A
PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF THE IRAQI CRISIS AND INSTEAD HAVE CHOSEN
WAR ... THEIR MEETING TODAY WILL ANNOUNCE THE END OF THE
COUNTDOWN TO A WAR THAT WILL NOT ONLY BE AGAINST IRAQ BUT
INTERNATIONAL LEGITIMACY."


7. COMMENTING ON PRESIDENT BUSH'S STATEMENT ON THE ROADMAP AND
PALESTINIAN ISSUES, 'AL BAYAN' EDITORIALIZED ON 3/16:

"... BUSH'S STATEMENT WAS APPLAUDED BY ISRAEL, WHO KNEW WHAT HE
WOULD SAY BEFORE HE SAID IT. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE PALESTINIAN
ADMINISTRATION DEALS FLEXIBLY WITH ALL PEACE INITIATIVES,
ESPECIALLY AS SEEN WITH THE NOMINATION OF MAHMOUD ABBAS, ABU
MAZEN, AS PRIME MINISTER OF PALESTINE, WHOM ISRAEL APPROVED OF
BECAUSE OF HIS POSITION TOWARDS THE PALESTINIAN INTIFADA!! WHAT
IS MORE IMPORTANT IS THE PALESTINIAN MAN WHO IS THE PULSE OF THE
CURRENT INTIFADA. THIS MAN WILL NEVER YIELD TO ANY TRIALS
TERMINATING HIS LEGITIMATE BATTLE. THE PALESTINIAN INTIFADA IS
SUPPOSED TO MOVE THE PEACE PROCESS FORWARD AND NOT BE MOVED BY
PEOPLE WHO DO NOT EVEN SYMPATHIZE WITH PALESTINIANS."

WAHBA