MEDIA REACTION: AZORES SUMMIT, IRAQ, AND PRESIDENT

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