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