MEDIA REACTION: WAR IN IRAQ AND DEMONSTRATIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001363

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA;
INR/NESA; INR/B; IIP/G/NEA-SA
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: WAR IN IRAQ AND DEMONSTRATIONS



1. SUMMARY: WAR IN IRAQ DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE PRINT AND
ELECTRONIC MEDIA. A PROMINENT THEME OF EDITORIALS IS "U.S.
NEGLIGENCE OF ALL INTERNATIONAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS." AN 'AL
ITTIHAD' EDITORIAL STRESSED THE URGENCY OF PROVIDING HUMANITARIAN
AID FOR THE IRAQI PEOPLE. AN 'AKHBAR AL ARAB' EDITORIAL
DESCRIBED THE ANTI-WAR DEMONSTRATIONS AROUND THE WORLD AS "A
VOLCANO OF ANGER." UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN LASHED OUT IN AN
OP-ED AGAINST ARAB IMPOTENCE IN THE CURRENT SITUATION. ALL LOCAL
ENGLISH AND ARABIC DAILIES GAVE POSITIVE COVERAGE TO ANTI-
AMERICAN AND ANTI-WAR DEMONSTRATIONS AROUND THE WORLD, ESPECIALLY
THOSE IN THE ARAB WORLD. END SUMMARY.


2. IN A REFERENCE TO REMARKS BY U/S MARC GROSSMAN AT THE FOREIGN
PRESS CENTER ON MARCH 19, THE NUMBER TWO FRONT-PAGE HEADLINE IN
PAN-ARAB 'AL KHALEEJ' ON 3/22 READ: "U.S. WANTS A 'NEW
GOVERNMENT' (OF IRAQ) WHICH WILL RECOGNIZE ISRAEL."


3. ON 3/22, ENGLISH AND ARABIC DAILIES HIGHLIGHTED, WITH COLOR
PHOTOGRAPHS, THE HOISTING OF THE AMERICAN FLAG AT UM QASR PORT.
DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED 'AL BAYAN,' 'AL KHALEEJ,' AND DUBAI-
BASED ENGLISH-LANGUAGE DAILY 'GULF NEWS' CARRIED EDITORIALS, OP-
EDS AND NEWS REPORTS THAT THE U.S. IS DETERMINED TO OCCUPY,
RATHER THAN LIBERATE, IRAQ.


4. COMMENTING ON AMERICAN CONCERN FOR THE IRAQI PEOPLE, 'AL
KHALEEJ' EDITORIALIZED ON 03/22:

"... THE U.S. BELIEVES THAT SAVING THE PEOPLE OF A COUNTRY MEANS
KILLING THEM, THEN DESTROYING THEIR COUNTRY AS A PRELUDE TO
OCCUPYING IT ... THE REASON FOR THE BUSH-BLAIR WAR IS TAKING UP
COLONIAL RESIDENCE IN THE HEART OF THE ARAB REGION, AS IF ISRAEL
AND ALL THE CATASTROPHES IT HAS BROUGHT TO THIS REGION FOR THE
LAST 55 YEARS HAVE NOT BEEN ENOUGH."


5. DESCRIBING THE WORLDWIDE DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST THE WAR IN
IRAQ AS "A VOLCANO OF ANGER," "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED ON 03/22:

"... WHAT IS VERY FRIGHTENING IS THAT THE U.S. IS ACTING WITH NO
CONSIDERATION FOR ANY INTERNATIONAL LAWS. DURING THE OLD DAYS OF
OCCUPATION, THERE WERE NO INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO MAINTAIN
SECURITY IN THE WORLD, AS OPPOSED TO NOW, WHICH IS WHY IT WAS NOT
EASY AT THAT TIME TO REPEL THE OCCUPIERS. HISTORY INFORMS US
THAT MOST COLONIAL NATIONS AGREED AMONGST THEMSELVES TO DIVIDE UP
THE WORLD AND ITS RESOURCES. IT SEEMS THAT THE U.S. HAS
ABANDONED ITS BETTER NATURE, AND INSTEAD OF SERVING AS A ROLE
MODEL FOR OTHER COUNTRIES BECAUSE OF ITS POWER IN THE WORLD, IT
IS ABANDONING ALL INTERNATIONAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS. THE
"VOLCANO OF ANGER" (THE DEMONSTRATIONS) WILL SPREAD ALL OVER THE
WORLD, IF NOT ONLY FOR THE IRAQI PEOPLE, THEN ALSO FOR THE
DIGNITY OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, WHICH HAS BEEN MORTALLY
WOUNDED BECAUSE OF THE U.S. ATTACKS ON IRAQ"


6. NOTING THAT THERE ARE TWO LOSERS IN THIS WAR, ABU DHABI-BASED
PAN-ARAB DAILY 'AKHBAR AL ARAB' EDITORIALIZED ON 03/22:

"... THE SURE THING IS THAT THE FIRST LOSER AND VICTIM OF THIS
WAR IS THE POOR IRAQI PEOPLE, WHO HAVE FACED THREE WARS DURING
THE PAST TWO DECADES AND PAID THE PRICE IN THEIR OWN BLOOD AND
RESOURCES FOR THE DEADLY MISTAKES OF THEIR REGIME ... AS FOR THE
SECOND LOSER, IT IS DEFINITELY THE UN AND ALL ITS COMPONENTS,
ESPECIALLY THE SECURITY COUNCIL; THE US, UK, AND SPAIN HAVE
HAMMERED THE FIRST AND PERHAPS LAST NAIL INTO ITS COFFIN ...
DIVIDING IRAQ INTO SMALL ETHNIC AREAS WILL NOT BENEFIT THE
REGION, NOT EVEN THE U.S. THE ONLY BENEFICIARY OF THIS IS
ISRAEL, WHICH ALWAYS LOOKS TO PROFIT FROM SUCH CRISES IN ORDER TO
MOVE BEYOND THE BORDERS OF PALESTINE ..."


7. EMPHASIZING THE URGENT NEED FOR HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATIONS
AND AID TO REACH THE IRAQI PEOPLE, ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-
GOVERNMENT 'AL ITTIHAD' EDITORIALIZED ON 03/22:

"... MOST IMPORTANT IS TO OBTAIN A SERIOUS AND SPEEDY
INTERNATIONAL MOVE TO PROVIDE HUMANITARIAN AID SUCH AS FOOD AND
MEDICINE TO IRAQ AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THIS WILL REQUIRE
COOPERATION FROM ALL WORLD DONORS AND A QUICK RESPONSE IN ORDER
TO START THE NECESSARY HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS ..."


8. IN AN IMPASSIONED CRITIQUE OF ARAB IMPOTENCE, UAE COLUMNIST
AYSHA IBRAHIM SULTAN WROTE IN 'AL BAYAN' ON 3/22:

"... FORGIVE US, OH IRAQ, AS PALESTINE FORGAVE US BEFORE, BUT OUR
HEARTS ARE WITH YOU, WE PRAY FOR YOU ... YOU, OH IRAQ, WHO IS
PAYING THE BILL OF CENTURIES INSTEAD OF US ... FIRST CAME THE
TATARS AND FINALLY CAME THE (U.S.) LATTER-DAY TATARS TO TEACH YOU
A LESSON AND STOP YOU FROM RAISING YOUR HEAD WITH GLORY ... TODAY
WE ARE ALL IRAQ, AND IRAQ HAS REACHED OUT ITS HANDS FOR OUR HELP;
HOW WILL WE ATONE FOR OUR DISGRACE?"

WAHBA