MEDIA REACTION: PRESIDENTS BUSH'S 3/18 ADDRESS, IRAQ,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001341

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: PRESIDENTS BUSH'S 3/18 ADDRESS, IRAQ,
AN AMERICAN DEATH IN ISRAEL, UAE FNC, AND ANTI-US DEMONSTRATIONS


1. SUMMARY: PRESIDENT BUSH'S MARCH 18TH ADDRESS TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE GENERATED EXTENSIVE COVERAGE IN LOCAL AND REGIONAL PRINT
AND SATELLITE MEDIA. 'AL KHALEEJ' CARRIED THE FULL TEXT OF THE
ADDRESS WHILE OTHER ENGLISH AND ARABIC DAILIES CARRIED LENGTHY
EXCERPTS. AN 'AKHABAR AL ARAB' EDITORIAL SUGGESTS THAT THE BEST
SACRIFICE SADDAM COULD MAKE FOR HIS COUNTRY IS TO STEP DOWN.
OTHER EDITORIALS STRONGLY CRITICIZED THE U.S. DETERMINATION FOR
WAR, NOTING THAT IRAQ IS ONLY THE BEGINNING AND OTHER ARAB
COUNTRIES WILL BE NEXT. EDITORIALS AND NEWS ALSO FEATURED LOCAL
DEMONSTRATIONS, THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ELECTED UAE FEDERAL
NATIONAL COUNCIL (FNC) REPRESENTATIVES, AND THE KILLING OF AN
AMERICAN PEACE ACTIVIST, RACHEL CORRIE, IN ISRAEL. END SUMMARY.


2. ON 3/18, SEVERAL LOCAL ENGLISH AND ARABIC DAILIES REPORTED
WITH PHOTOS A DEMONSTRATION IN RAS AL KHAIMAH AGAINST U.S.
POLICIES IN THE REGION. COVERAGE ALSO INCLUDED AN ARTICLE ON
STUDENT PLANS TO SEND A 30-METER LONG 'PEACE BANNER' TO THE WHITE
HOUSE.


3. DUBAI-BASED ENGLISH-LANGUAGE DAILY 'GULF NEWS' ON 3/18 AND
SEVERAL LOCAL ARABIC DAILIES ON 3/19 CARRIED INSIDE-PAGE ARTICLES
CITING SHEIKH KHALED BIN SAQR AL QASIMI, RAS AL KHAIMAH (RAK)
CROWN PRINCE AND DEPUTY RULER, AS SAYING THAT A YEAR FROM NOW,
THE FEDERAL NATIONAL COUNCIL (FNC) MEMBERS OF RAK WOULD BE
ELECTED AND NOT APPOINTED.


4. CLAIMING IRAQ WILL BE A MODEL FOR WHOEVER DOES NOT ABIDE BY
U.S. POLICIES IN THE FUTURE, SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB "AL KHALEEJ"
EDITORIALIZED ON 3/19:

"... DURING THIS CRUCIAL TIME, FROM THE ELIMINATION OF THE
INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM INITIATED SIXTY YEARS AGO AFTER WORLD WAR
II, SOMETHING THAT FELL WITH THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION DECISION IN
FOR A WAR ON IRAQ, TO A NEW AMERICAN SYSTEM, SOMETHING WASHINGTON
WOULD LIKE TO IMPOSE ON THE WORLD. WHAT IS GOING TO FACE IRAQ
DURING THIS WAR WILL BE THE 'IDEAL' MODEL THAT WILL BE IMPOSED ON
ALL OPPONENTS, NAY-SAYERS, AND ALL PEOPLE REJECTING BRITISH-
AMERICAN POLICIES ..."


5. COMMENTING ON PRESIDENT BUSH'S ULTIMATUM FOR WAR IN HIS
ADDRESS TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, ABU DHABI-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY
"AKHBAR AL ARAB" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/19:

"... SACRIFICING FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR COUNTRY IS NOT ALWAYS BY
GOING INTO BATTLES AND BECOMING A MARTYR, IT COULD ALSO BE
REALIZED THROUGH SIMPLE SACRIFICES, SUCH AS A LEADER STEPPING
DOWN FROM THE PRESIDENCY. ISN'T THIS A SACRIFICE A PRESIDENT CAN
OFFER IN RETURN FOR AVERTING UNIMAGINABLE SUFFERINGS AND
UNBELIEVABLE CONSEQUENCES FROM HIS OWN FELLOW CITIZENS? HE CAN
SPARE HIS PEOPLE A DEAR PRICE ..."


6. COMMENTING ON A RECENT DEBATE BETWEEN PRIME MINISTER TONY
BLAIR AND A NUMBER OF BRITISH WOMEN, KHALAF AHMED AL HABTOOR
EDITORIALIZED IN 'GULF NEWS' ON 3/18:

"... IT WAS A SERIOUS AND CONSTRUCTIVE DEBATE, NOT AS SUPERFICIAL
AS WE ARE USED TO IN MANY OF THE SO-CALLED ARAB 'DEBATES' ... I
ADMIT THAT MY ADMIRATION FOR THIS GREAT PEOPLE DOUBLED ... BUT I
ALSO HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I WAS OVERWHELMED WITH DISAPPOINTMENT
WHEN I REMEMBERED THE SITUATION OF DEMOCRACY IN THE ARAB WORLD.
WHEN I COMPARED THE INDIFFERENT AND BITTER ARAB STATUS TO THAT
DEBATE, I FELT ENGULFED WITH FRUSTRATION ..."


7. IN AN EDITORIAL ENTITLED 'NOTING HUMANE QUESTIONS IN AN
INHUMANE TIME,' "AL KHALEEJ" COMMENTED ON 3/18:

"... WHY DID THE PEACE ACTIVIST RACHEL CORRIE LEAVE HER COUNTRY
AND COME TO PALESTINE TO TAKE A HUMAN STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF
PALESTINE, WHO ARE SUBJECT TO DAILY ATTACKS BY THE WAR CRIMINAL
SHARON? WHY ARE OTHER PEOPLE LEAVING IRAQ, KUWAIT, SYRIA, AND
OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE REGION, LEAVING THEIR PEOPLE TO FACE THE
FIRE OF THOUSANDS OF MISSILES AND BOMBS, INCLUDING 'THE MOTHER OF
ALL BOMBS,' WHICH WEIGHS AROUND TEN TONS? THESE ARE HUMANE
QUESTIONS IN AN INHUMAN TIME."


8. COMMENTING ON THE NOW-CLOSED DIPLOMATIC DOORS TO ANY SOLUTION
OF THE CRISIS IN IRAQ, ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL
ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/18:

"... WILL SADDAM DO IT? WILL HE BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE INTERESTS
OF HIS PEOPLE AND NOT HIS OWN? WILL HE LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF
WISDOM AND REASON IN ORDER TO SAVE HIS PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN
SUFFERING FOR YEARS NOW, AND WHO ARE STILL DREAMING THAT THIS WAR
COULD BE AVOIDED? WILL SADDAM, AS HIS HABIT IN THE LAST TEN
YEARS, BACK OFF AT THE LAST MINUTE AND GRANT MILLIONS OF IRAQIS
THE HOPE THEY HAVE BEEN AWAITING SO LONG?"


9. COMMENTING ON THE DEATH OF AMERICAN PEACE ACTIVIST RACHEL
CORRIE, KILLED BY AN ISRAELI BULLDOZER, "AKHBAR AL ARAB"
EDITORIALIZED ON 3/18:

"... RACHEL IS UNIQUE. SHE CARRIED OUT A MISSION FILLED WITH
NOBLE MEANING TO PALESTINIANS, ARABS, AMERICANS, MOTHERS AND
FATHERS, AND ALSO TO ALL NATIONS OF THE WORLD ... SHE DESERVES TO
BE OFFICIALLY HONORED. SHE DESERVES TO BE REMEMBERED BY THE ARAB
LEAGUE BECAUSE SHE IS REALLY IN THE HEARTS OF ALL ARABS AS A MOST
NOBLE AND HONEST EMISSARY (FOR PEACE)."

WAHBA