MEDIA REACTION: WAR IN IRAQ U.S. PRISONERS OF WAR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001400 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA; INR/B; IIP/G/NEA-SA; TFIZ01 WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE 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 U.S. PRISONERS OF WAR SHEIKH ZAYED'S INITIATIVE ¶1. SUMMARY: THE WAR IN IRAQ AND FOOTAGE OF CAPTURED AND KILLED U.S. SOLDIERS DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA. AN "AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIAL CONDEMNED AL-JAZEERA'S BROADCASTING OF FOOTAGE OF DEAD U.S. SOLDIERS AND U.S. POWS. ALSO IN "AL ITTIHAD, " UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN COMMENTED THAT IRAQ IS IN PEOPLE'S HEARTS WORLDWIDE, AND THAT IT WILL RESIST CONQUEST, AS IT HAS ALWAYS DONE. AN EDITORIAL ENTITLED "BACK TO THE INITIATIVE" REITERATED THE IMPORTANCE OF SHEIKH ZAYED'S INITIATIVE FOR SADDAM TO STEP DOWN. END SUMMARY. ¶2. HEADLINES FOR 3/24 INCLUDE: --"AL KHALEEJ," "AL BAYAN," AND "GULF NEWS" CARRIED FRONT-PAGE AND FULL-SPREAD COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DEAD AND CAPTURED U.S. SOLDIERS. --"BROADCAST OF PRISONERS CONFUSES WASHINGTON AND BUSH ADMITS 'FIGHTS ARE HARD'"; "FIERCE BATTLES IN THE SOUTH; 15 AMERICAN SOLDIERS KILLED"(AL KHALEEJ) --"IRAQI FORCES FIGHT BACK" AND "IMAGES OF DEATH, VIOLENCE SHOCK ARABS" (GULF NEWS) --"ENCIRCLING BAGHDAD FROM THREE SIDES" AND "THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT WARNS TURKEY AGAINST INTERFERING IN NORTHERN IRAQ" (AL ITTIHAD) --"AMERICAN ATTACKS CONFUSED POLITICALLY, MILITARILY, AND INFORMATION-WISE;" "385 CIVILIAN CASUALTIES, OCCUPIERS LOSE 25 SOLDIERS" (AL BAYAN) ¶3. A 3/24 FRONT-PAGE ARTICLE IN SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL- KHALEEJ" REPORTED THAT AN ISRAELI MISSILE WAS USED IN THE RAIDS ON IRAQ AND THAT THIS INFORMATION WAS CONFIRMED BY ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER SHAOUL MOFAZ. ANOTHER "AL-KHALEEJ" ARTICLE CLAIMED THAT WASHINGTON HAS MADE THE BROADCASTING OF FOOTAGE OF THE POWS INTO A LEGAL ISSUE AND HAS REQUESTED ALL SATELLITE CHANNELS NOT TO BROADCAST THESE IMAGES. ¶4. ARABIC DAILIES HAVE NOT YET REPORTED ON GENERAL ABIZEID'S 3/23 BRIEFING. "GULF NEWS" CARRIED A FRONT-PAGE REPORT ON THE BRIEFING QUOTING THE GENERA'S REMARK THAT "YESTERDAY WAS THE TOUGHEST DAY OF RESISTANCE." ¶5. UNDER THE HEADLINE "BACK TO THE INITIATIVE", ABU DHABI-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AKHBAR AL ARAB" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/24: "... OUR OBLIGATION REQUIRES THE INTERVENTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL (COMMUNITY),ARMED WITH SHEIKH ZAYED'S INITIATIVE, WHICH ASKS SADDAM TO STEP DOWN WITH SOME GUARANTEES. THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO ACT ON AND COMPLETE THE LEGAL ASPECTS OF THIS INITIATIVE, THEN TO SUBMIT IT TO BECOME THE INTERNATIONAL EXIT FROM WAR." ¶6. CONDEMNING THE BROADCAST OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF DEAD AMERICAN SOLDIERS AND AMERICAN POWS AS UNACCEPTABLE, THE EDITORIAL IN ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" 3/24 SAID: "... BROADCASTING PICTURES OF DEAD, TORN BODIES AND FLOODS OF BLOOD, IN ADDITION TO PICTURES OF PRISONERS OF WAR WHO ARE TERRIFIED OF THE BRUTALITY OF THEIR CAPTORS, IS SOMETHING WHICH OFFENDS ALL INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS AND ALL HUMAN VALUES. THIS WILL NEVER GIVE THE EFFECT DESIRED BY THE BROADCASTER; ON THE CONTRARY, IT WILL CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE OF HATRED AND REVENGE, NOT ONLY AMONG THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE WAR, BUT ALSO AMONG PEOPLE WHO ARE THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY..." ¶7. NOTING THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS WAR ON THE WORLD AND THE REGION, SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 3/24: "... BUSH'S HAWKS PLAN TO CHANGE THE UN, EMBRACE 'OLD EUROPE' WHICH CONSISTS OF FRANCE AND GERMANY, AND TARGET (AFTER IRAQ) SYRIA, IRAN, AND OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE REGION, AND EVEN RUSSIA AND ANY COUNTRY THAT BOTHERS THEM. THESE PLANS INDICATE THAT THE KNIFE THAT IS NOW IN IRAQ WILL MOVE ON TO REACH MANY NECKS ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD..." ¶8. DESCRIBING THIS WAR AS ONE IN SUPPORT OF ESTABLISHING "GREATER ISRAEL," SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB WEEKLY MAGAZINE "AL SHURUQ" EDITORIALIZED 3/24: "THE WAR ON IRAQ HAS BEGUN, AND ALL THE INTERNATIONAL ATTEMPTS TO STOP THE U.S. IN ITS SCHEMES TO DESTROY THE IRAQI LAND, PEOPLE, AND HISTORY WILL FAIL. MOST IMPORTANT (TO THE U.S.) IS TO IMPLEMENT THE PLAN--THAT IS, TO DOMINATE THE ENTIRE MIDDLE EAST AND TO SUPPORT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GREATER ISRAEL. BOTH THE TRADITIONAL AND THE NEW ZIONISTS, WHO FOLLOW THE ANGLICAN- AMERICAN-JEWISH CHURCH, ALONG WITH THE AMERICAN GROUP WHO ARE LEADING WASHINGTON TO THIS WAR OF ANNIHILATION ON BAGHDAD, AND THEN THE ARABS AND MUSLIMS, HAVE LONG AWAITED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GREATER ISRAEL ..." ¶9. UNDER THE HEADLINE "LONGER WAR, HIGHER PRICE", DUBAI-BASED ENGLISH-LANGUAGE DAILY "GULF NEWS" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/24: "... BUT AS ALWAYS, EVERY WAR HAS A PRICE. AND THE LONGER THE WAR, THE HIGHER THE PRICE. IN THIS CASE, IT IS A PRICE THAT WILL BE PAID BY THE VERY PEOPLE THAT THE AMERICANS SAY THEY HAVE SET OUT TO HELP: THE IRAQI POPULATION... THE U.S. HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO TAKE ALL NECESSARY MEASURES TO AVOID A PROLONGED WAR. IT IS ABOUT TIME FOR THE U.S. TO CONFRONT THE TRUTH... THE SOONER IT DOES SO THE BETTER, AS IT WON'T TAKE LONG FOR THE U.S. TO FIND ITSELF ENTANGLED IN ITS OWN WEB OF LIES." ¶10. CRITICIZING THE CRUDE LANGUAGE USED BY IRAQI MINISTER OF INFORMATION, AL SAHHAF, UAE COLUMNIST NASSER AL DHAHERI WROTE IN "AL ITTIHAD" ON 3/24: "... AL SAHHAF'S DICTIONARY DEPARTED FROM THE USUAL, MODERATE, AND PATIENTLY-CHOSEN LANGUAGE OF DIPLOMACY. IT EXCEEDED THE LANGUAGE OF ANGER AND WAS MOSTLY SWEARING AND USE OF UNSUITABLE ADJECTIVES IN FRONT OF THE WORLD'S TV CHANNELS. THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE CASE, SINCE HE IS SEEKING THE WORLD'S SYMPATHY ..." ¶11. IN AN EMOTIONAL ARTICLE ABOUT IRAQ, UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN WROTE IN DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" ON 3/24: "... IRAQ IS GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER IN OUR HEARTS AND THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE OF THE GLOBE, WHILE THE OCCUPIERS' ORDEAL IS INCREASING AND THEY ARE SUCKED INTO THE SWAMP. THE 'LAND OF BLACKNESS' IS STILL RESISTING, AS IT HAS ALWAYS DONE IN THE FACE OF THE MONGOLS AND HULAGU'S CATAPULTS. IT IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE AL-RASHID'S CAPITAL, THE HEADQUARTERS OF DAR AL HIKMA AND COLLECTIONS OF POETRY. THE 'LIBRARY OF THE WORLD' (IRAQ) IS ARROGANT AND WILL ALWAYS BE SO IF GOD WILLS" WAHBA