MEDIA REACTION: WAR IN IRAQ CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001615

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; NSC
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 CIVILIAN CASUALTIES



1. SUMMARY: THE WAR IN IRAQ, IRAQI CIVILIAN CASUALTIES, AND THE
CAPTURE AND RENAMING OF THE SADDAM HUSSEIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
BY COALITION FORCES DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE MEDIA. AN "AL
BAYAN" EDITORIAL DESCRIBED THE SITUATION IN IRAQ AS A "HUMAN
CATASTROPHE" AND CRITICIZED ARABS FOR THEIR FAILURE TO ACT. AN
"AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIAL COMMENTED THAT THE CATASTROPHE AWAITING
BAGHDAD AND OCCURRING ELSEWHERE IN IRAQ IS A CRIME AGAINST
HUMANITY. UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN REVEALED HER HATRED TOWARDS
THE U.S. IN HER "AL BAYAN" COLUMN. END SUMMARY.


2. UAE ARABIC NEWSPAPERS PUBLISHED EXCERPTS OF THE APRIL 3,
2003, FACT SHEET ON THE MIDDLE EAST PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE UNDER
THE FOLLOWING 4/5 HEADLINES:

-- "UNDER THE COVER OF PARTNERSHIP AND POLITICAL AND EDUCATIONAL
REFORM, AMERICA ANNOUNCES ITS PLANS TO CHANGE THE FACE OF THE
REGION" (SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ")
-- "U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE ANNOUNCES THEIR PLAN FOR POLITICAL
AND ECONOMIC REFORM IN THE MIDDLE EAST" (ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-
GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD")


3. COMMENTING ON POWELL'S STATEMENT TO THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF
THE EUROPEAN UNION, "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 4/5:

"... POWELL'S STATEMENT TO THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE EUROPEAN
UNION, ANNOUNCING THAT THE UN WILL HAVE NO ROLE TO PLAY IN THE
POST-SADDAM ERA, IN ADDITION TO WHAT THE AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS
REVEALED REGARDING THE AMERICAN MANAGEMENT OF OIL ISSUES IN IRAQ
AND A MILITARY GOVERNMENT CONSISTING OF AMERICAN GENERALS, SHOWS
THAT IRAQ WILL BE UNDER DIRECT AMERICAN COLONIAL CONTROL, AND ALL
IRAQ'S POLITICAL, ECONOMICAL, AND SOCIAL CAPABILITIES WILL BE
CONTROLLED IN THE NEW COLONY. THE UK AND U.S. ARE COMMITTING
MASSACRES AND EXECUTING RANDOM DESTRUCTION IN THE NAME OF
DEMOCRACY AND LIBERATION ..."


4. DESCRIBING U.S. SENATOR ROBERT BYRD AS "AN AMERICAN CRYING
OVER HIS COUNTRY," IBN KHALDOUN WROTE IN "AL KHALEEJ" ON 4/5:

"... SENATOR BYRD ASKS: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE U.S.? SINCE WHEN
DOES IT REBUKE AND IGNORE ITS FRIENDS (COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD),
AND SINCE WHEN DOES IT JEOPARDIZE THE DESTRUCTION OF WORLD ORDER
AND RESORT TO FORCE WHEN THE WHOLE WORLD ASKS FOR DIPLOMACY?
WHEN IS THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT GOING TO REALIZE THAT U.S. POWER
IS NOT IN ITS MILITARY ARSENAL AND NOT IN ITS ABILITY TO
HUMILIATE OTHERS, BUT IN IT BEING THE SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR
THE WHOLE WORLD?"


5. UNDER THE HEADLINE "HUMAN CATASTROPHE," DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-
ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 4/5:

"... ALL THAT WE HEAR ARE REPORTS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO LETTERS OF
CONDOLENCE. WHAT IS REALLY REQUIRED IS AN URGENT MOVE TO HELP
THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN OF IRAQ AND PROVIDE THEM WITH THE MINIMUM
LEVEL OF HUMANITARIAN AID. IT WOULD BE SHAMEFUL IF WE DO NOT ACT
TO PROTECT A WHOLE GENERATION FROM DYING. OUR BROTHERS IN IRAQ
FEEL THAT THE ARAB NATION HAS FAILED TO SAVE THEM FROM THIS
BURNING WAR ... INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SENT CALLS TO HELP
THE IRAQIS, AND IT IS REGRETTABLE THAT WE HAVE NOT HEARD ANY
JOINT ARAB ACTION TO SAVE THE IRAQIS FROM DEATH, HUNGER, AND
THIRST."


6. ANNOUNCING HER HATRED TOWARDS THE U.S., UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA
SULTAN WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" ON 4/5:

"... I KNOW THIS PARK (IN WASHINGTON, DC) VERY WELL SINCE I TOOK
WALKS THERE FOR MANY YEARS, BUT AFTER HEARING THE NEWS REPORTS
ABOUT IRAQ, I FELT A STRANGE HATRED TOWARDS ALL THAT HAS TO DO
WITH WASHINGTON, THIS CAPITAL THAT BROUGHT US EVIL AND HATRED AND
HAS BECOME OUR ENEMY FOR NO REASON ... PEOPLE THERE ARE STROLLING
DOWN THE PARK HAPPILY WITH THEIR CHILDREN IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
PLACE ON EARTH ... WHILE THE CHILDREN OF IRAQ SLEEP DREAMING OF
DEATH AND WAKE UP WITH DESTRUCTION ..."


7. NOTING THE CATASTROPHE AWAITING THE PEOPLE OF BAGHDAD,
"AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED ON 4/4:

"... IN SPITE OF THE CATASTROPHE AWAITING THE PEOPLE IN BAGHDAD,
THE IRAQI REGIME SEEMS NOT TO CARE ABOUT WHAT'S OCCURRING SINCE
THEY ARE HIDING IN STRONGLY FORTIFIED BUNKERS THAT CAN RESIST WMD
... THE TWO WARRING PARTIES SHOULD NOT USES CIVILIANS AS TARGETS,
AND SHOULD NOT USE HOLY PLACES, HISTORICAL PLACES, HOSPITALS, AND
SCHOOLS AS TARGETS FOR BOMBING OR FIRING POSITIONS. SUCH ACTS
SHOULD BE CONSIDERED CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY."


8. COMMENTING ON THE ANTICIPATED SITUATION IN IRAQ AFTER SADDAM
AMD EUROPEAN CONCERN FOR THEIR PROFITS IN THIS NEW ERA,
"AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED ON 4/4:

"... GOING BACK TO THE UN IN ORDER TO HAVE A ROLE IN THE POST-
SADDAM ERA MEANS TRYING TO STOP THE U.S. FROM DOMINATING AND
CONTROLLING IRAQ. STATEMENTS FROM LONDON INDICATE THE UK IS
MEETING WITH PARIS, MOSCOW, AND BERLIN TO DISCUSS THIS ISSUE,
SINCE THE UK ITSELF IS AFRAID THAT WASHINGTON AND ITS COMPANIES
WILL CONTROL IRAQ, AND THE UK WILL ONLY BE SPARED THE LEFTOVERS."

WAHBA