MEDIA REACTION: WAR IN IRAQ POWS CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001459

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA;
INR/NESA; INR/B; IIP/G/NEA-SA
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 POWS CIVILIAN CASUALTIES


1. SUMMARY: THE WAR IN IRAQ, AN ALLEGED U.S. DOUBLE STANDARD ON
POWS, CIVILIAN CASUALTIES, AND THE "OUR PEOPLE IN IRAQ" CAMPAIGN
DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE MEDIA. IN AN "AL KHALEEJ" ARTICLE, DR.
HASSAN MADAN ALLEGED A DOUBLE STANDARD IN U.S. POLICY TOWARDS
POWS. UNDER THE HEADLINE "THE DILEMMA AND FEAR," AN "AL BAYAN"
EDITORIAL NOTES THAT U.S. FORCES ARE PLANNING TO USE BANNED
WEAPONS, WHILE ANOTHER COLUMNIST COMPARES PRESIDENT BUSH TO WW2
NAZI LEADERS. END SUMMARY.


2. DUBAI TV FINISHED A 12-HOUR TELETHON EARLY MORNING 3/26 AFTER
RAISING NEARLY 49 MILLION AED ($14 MILLION) FOR HUMANITARIAN AID
TO IRAQIS, FEATURING PROMINENT EMIRATIS AS WELL AS EGYPTIAN AND
SYRIAN FILM STARS. ALL VOICED STRONG OPPOSITION TO THE WAR, WITH
ONE UAE OFFICIAL CALLING ON " THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO STOP
THIS AGGRESSION" AND ON "THE AMERICAN AND BRITISH AMBASSADORS TO
REPORT THE FEELINGS OF THE PUBLIC HONESTLY."


3. UNDER THE HEADLINE "THE CASUALTIES OF WAR," DUBAI-BASED
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE DAILY "GULF NEWS" EDITORIALIZED 3/26:

"... YET SOME DAYS LATER, POCKETS OF RESISTANCE ARE STILL BEING
MET AND COUNTERED WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY. EXPECTATIONS OF HORDES
OF GLEEFUL IRAQIS WELCOMING THE 'LIBERATING TROOPS' WITH BOUQUETS
AND SWEETMEATS HAVE FAILED TO MATERIALISE, AS HAVE THE SO-CALLED
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION ALLEGEDLY HELD BY THE IRAQIS ..."


4. UNDER THE HEADLINE "THE DILEMMA AND FEAR," DUBAI-BASED
BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 3/26:

"... DURING THIS DILEMMA (FOR THE U.S. MILITARY),IT IS NOT FAR
FROM TRUTH THAT U.S. FORCES MIGHT USE 'DESTRUCTIVE METHODS'
OUTSIDE NORMAL WAR PLANNING. SOME REPORTERS MENTIONED YESTERDAY
THAT THE U.S. FORCES USED CLUSTER BOMBS ON BASRA ... WHAT IS
FRIGHTENING IS THAT THE AMERICANS HAVE BEGUN TO CONSIDER USING
MILITARILY BANNED MATERIAL, AND IF THAT HAPPENS, THE 'SHOCK AND
AWE' WILL NOT ONLY HIT IRAQ AND THE ARABS BUT THE WORLD AS A
WHOLE."


5. COMMENTING ON THE U.S. PLANS TO REMOLD THE REGION, SHARJAH-
BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 3/26:

"... IN PALESTINE, A WAR OF LIQUIDATION HAS BEEN WAGED USING
AMERICAN WEAPONS. IN IRAQ, AN AMERICAN-BRITISH WAR OF
LIQUIDATION IS BEING WAGED AGAINST THE IRAQI PEOPLE USING ISRAELI
WEAPONS ... THE REGION IS BEING REMOLDED WITH ARAB BLOOD WHILE
ARABS ARE WATCHING AND COUNTING THE MISSILES THAT FALL ON IRAQI
PEOPLE, JUST AS BEFORE WITH THE MISSILES THAT FELL AND ARE STILL
FALLING ON THE PALESTINIANS."


6. DESCRIBING THE IMAGE BUSH PAINTS FOR THE U.S., UAE COLUMNIST
AYSHA SULTAN WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" 3/25:

"... THE PICTURE THAT PRESIDENT BUSH DRAWS FOR THE U.S. IS AN
EXTREMELY UGLY IMAGE OF A COWBOY DRUNK WITH THE IDEA OF
TYRANNICAL POWER. THIS HAS LED HIM TO IMAGINE THAT HE CAN DO
WHATEVER HE WANTS TO WHOMEVER. AMERICANS THINK THAT THE ARAB
WORLD AND IN PARTICULAR, THE ISLAMIC WORLD, ARE REGIONS INHABITED
BY SAVAGE ARAB TERRORISTS, WHO NEED TO BE ELIMINATED TO REALIZE
THE PROPHECY AND STABILITY OF AMERICA AND THE WELL-BEING OF
AMERICANS ... OH PEOPLE OF IRAQ: YOU ARE TURNING, ON BEHALF OF
THE (ARAB) NATION, A DANGEROUS CORNER; AN IDEA CONFRONTING A
TANK; CULTURE CONFRONTING DEATH; CIVILIZATION CONFRONTING A
TOMAHAWK; AND A HUMAN BEING FACING EXPULSION. YOU ARE STANDING
LIKE AN ARROW IN THE DESERT, LIKE PALESTINE AND BEIRUT BEFORE
YOU, AND JUST AS OTHER CAPITALS WILL STAND IN THE FUTURE ..."


7. ALLEGING A U.S. DOUBLE STANDARD IN THE TREATMENT OF POWS, UAE
COLUMNIST DR.HASSAN MADAN WROTE IN "AL KHALEEJ" 3/26:

"... THE U.S. IN PARTICULAR SHOULD BE THE LAST TO DISCUSS RESPECT
OF THE GENEVA CONVENTION REGARDING POWS. THE U.S. IGNORED AND IS
STILL IGNORING ALL THE OBJECTIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF THE ARABS AND
NON-ARAB PRISONERS SHIPPED TO GUANTANAMO BAY IN CUBA. THEIR
TREATMENT IS A HUMILIATION OF ALL HUMAN DIGNITY ..."

8 COMPARING GEORGE BUSH TO NAZI LEADER HERMAN GOERING, A
COLUMNIST NICKNAMED ABU KHALDOUN WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" 3/26:

"... DURING THE TRIAL OF THE NAZI LEADER HERMAN GOERING (HITLER'S
DEPUTY),HE WAS ASKED: DID THE PEOPLE OF GERMANY WANT THE WAR?
HE ANSWERED: THE NORMAL MAN IN THE STREET AND ALL PEOPLE OF ALL
NATIONS DO NOT WANT WAR, BUT IT IS THE POLITICAL LEADERS WHO
DECIDE A NATION'S POLICY ... PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH, IN HIS
CAMPAIGN TO PREPARE FOR THE INVASION OF IRAQ, FOLLOWED THIS SAME
METHOD REVEALED BY THE NAZI LEADER IN THE NEUREMBERG TRIAL. HE
ANNOUNCED FROM THE FIRST DAY OF MOBILIZATION: 'WHOEVER IS NOT
WITH US IS AGAINST US' AND CREATED A SITUATION OF ANXIETY AND
FEAR AMONG THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ..."

9 MARIAM ABDULLAH WROTE IN HER DAILY COLUMN IN "AL-BAYAN" 3/26

"... IRAQ'S ACCEPTANCE OF THE CHALLENGE (OF THE WAR) WAS THE
GREATEST AND MOST WONDERFUL OPTION THAT HELPED TO RESTORE PART OF
OUR WOUNDED DIGNITY AND ALLOWED US A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE A
VITAL PART OF OUR (ARAB) ENTITY RESISTING, FACE THE AGGRESSORS,
AND REJECT A DRINK FROM THE CUP OF HUMILIATION ..."

WAHBA