MEDIA REACTION: WAR IN IRAQ CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001656

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
U.S. PLANS FOR POST-WAR IRAQ DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE MEDIA.
UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" THAT ONLY THE U.S.
AND NONE OF ITS ALLIES WILL CONTROL POST-WAR IRAQ. ANOTHER UAE
COLUMNIST, DR. SHAMLAN AL EISSA POINTED OUT THAT THE ARAB AND
GULF COUNTRIES HAVE THE SAME DOUBLE STANDARDS OF WHICH THEY
ACCUSE THE U.S. END SUMMARY.


2. ASSERTING THAT ISRAEL WILL BENEFIT FROM THE WAR IN IRAQ,
SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 4/7:

"... THE GOAL OF ATTACKING IRAQ IS TO ENSURE THE OIL (IS
PROTECTED) AND TO ELIMINATE ANY POTENTIAL THREATS AGAINST ISRAEL.
THIS GOAL IS FAR FROM THE FALSE AMERICAN STATEMENTS ABOUT
'FREEDOM' AND 'DEMOCRACY' ... THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO IMPOSE A
SETTLEMENT WITH ISRAELI CONDITIONS ON THE PALESTINIANS, SYRIA,
AND LEBANON. ANYONE WHO DOES NOT ACCEPT THIS WILL FACE THE
MACHINES OF DESTRUCTION AND KILLING ALREADY EXISTING IN THE
REGION AND READY TO DISCIPLINE THOSE WHO DO NOT LEARN FROM THE
'IRAQI LESSON' ..."


3. COMMENTING ON BOTH SHEIKH ZAYED'S AND PRESIDENT BUSH'S
INITIATIVES FOR IRAQ, UAE COLUMNIST ABDULLA RASHEED WROTE IN ABU
DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" ON 4/7:

"... SHEIKH ZAYED'S INITIATIVE CAME FROM A MAN DEVOTED TO HIS
NATION AND THE ARAB WORLD, AND WHICH WAS FOR THE SAKE AND BENEFIT
OF ARABS. HOWEVER, PRESIDENT BUSH'S INITIATIVE LOOKS FIRST AND
FOREMOST AT U.S INTERESTS, WHICH IS NATURAL, AND THEN SHIFTS TO
OTHERS' INTERESTS. DESPITE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE TWO
INITIATIVES, SADDAM INSISTED ON CHOOSING PRESIDENT BUSH'S
INITIATIVE TO SOLVE THIS CRISIS. SO, PLEASE DON'T BLAME US BUT
BLAME YOURSELVES ..."


4. COMMENTING ON THE EXPECTED NEW AMERICAN GOVERNMENT IN IRAQ,
UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN WROTE IN DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED
"AL BAYAN" ON 4/7:

"... A RETIRED U.S. GENERAL (J.GARNER) WILL BE THE CIVIL RULER,
TOMMY FRANKS WILL BE THE MILITARY RULER, AND THERE WILL BE 13
U.S. MINISTERS ASSISTED BY 4 CONSULTANTS FROM THE IRAQI
OPPOSITION! ALLIES DON'T MATTER WHEN IT'S TIME TO EAT THE CAKE!
THIS IS THE SECRET BEHIND THE BRITISH INSISTENCE THAT IRAQIS
SHOULD CONTROL IRAQ AFTER THE WAR ... THE BAD TIMES ARE NOT HERE
YET, WHAT WE ARE FACING NOW IS STILL AN INTRODUCTION TO A GREEK
COMEDY. IN THE COMING WEEKS AND MONTHS THE NEXT STEP OF THE
AMERICAN RIGHT WING WILL BE REVEALED, AND EVERYONE KNOWS THE NEXT
U.S. STEP. IN THE COMING DAYS, THE U.S. WILL FLOOD THE WORLD
WITH IRAQI OIL IN ORDER TO REGAIN THE COSTS OF WAR AND TO RE-
BUILD IRAQ. THE OIL PRODUCTION WILL EXCEED 5 OR EVEN 7 MILLION
BARRELS A DAY, AND PRICES WILL DECREASE AND MIGHT REACH 10
DOLLARS PER BARREL! WE SHOULD RECALL THE REMARKS MADE BY THE
STATE DEPARTMENT GODFATHER, THE JEWISH HENRY KESSINGER IN 1973
FOLLOWING THE OIL CRISIS: 'WE WILL MAKE ARABS DRINK THEIR OIL
JUST LIKE WATER!"


5. NOTING THE ARAB AND GULF COUNTRIES' DOUBLE STANDARDS IN THEIR
MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE WAR AGAINST IRAQ, COLUMNIST DR. SHAMLAN AL
EISSA WROTE IN "AL ITTIHAD" ON 4/6:

"... THE DILEMMA FACING THE ARAB WORLD AND GULF COUNTRIES IS THAT
THEY HAVE THE SAME FAULTS OF WHICH THEY ACCUSE THE U.S. THESE
FAULTS ARE CLEARLY SHOWN IN THEIR DOUBLE STANDARDS. EXAMPLES OF
THAT ARE MANY, WE MENTION HERE THE GULF MEDIA HOSTILE TOWARDS THE
U.S AND SUPPORTIVE OF IRAQ ..."


6. COMMENTING ON U.S. EXCUSES FOR THE WAR IN IRAQ, "AL-KHALEEJ"
EDITORIALIZED 4/6:

"... THE U.S. PRESIDENT CLAIMS THAT ATTACKING IRAQ IS TO DEFEND
U.S. SECURITY AND WORLD PEACE. THE FACT IS THAT THE RASH
POLICIES OF HIS ADMINISTRATION ARE WHAT BRINGS OUT HATRED TOWARDS
THE U.S., AND THIS POLICY IS WHAT THREATENS WORLD SECURITY AND
PEACE... "


7. COMMENTING ON FORMER CIA DIRECTOR JAMES WOOLSEY'S WARNINGS TO
SAUDI ARABIA AND EGYPT FOR THE NEXT PHASE, COLUMNIST HOSSAM
KANAFANI WROTE IN "AL KHALEEJ" ON 4/6:

"... PERHAPS THE STATEMENT OF THE FORMER CIA DIRECTOR, JAMES
WOOLSEY, TWO DAYS AGO, INDICATES U.S. INTENTIONS FOR THE REGION,
SINCE WELSEY IS NOMINATED TO BECOME MINISTER OF INFORMATION IN
THE POST-SADDAM AMERICAN GOVERNMENT ..."


8. UNDER THE HEADLINE "WHAT'S COMING IS WORSE," UAE COLUMNIST
IBN AL DEIRA WROTE IN "AL KHALEEJ" ON 4/6:

"... THE DEMOCRACY OF GENERAL GARNER THAT WILL BE COMING ON TANKS
AND OVER THE DEAD BODIES OF IRAQIS IS NOT THE DEMOCRACY THAT
IRAQIS HAVE BEEN DREAMING OF. IRAQ HAS BEEN BAD DURING SADDAM'S
REGIME BUT IT WILL BE WORSE DURING GARNERS ..."


9. UNDER THE HEADLINE "TROOPS HUMILIATING PROUD IRAQIS," MOHAMED
ALMEZEL, BAHRAIN BUREAU CHIEF FOR EXPATRIATE-ORIENTED ENGLISH
DAILY "GULF NEWS" WROTE AN ARTICLE ON 4/6 CRITICAL OF AMERICAN
AND BRITISH TROOPS TREATMEMT OF IRAQIS AT MILITARY CHECKPOINTS.
AL-MEZEL NOTED IRAQ'S HISTORY AS A 'CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION' AND
URGED COALITION FORCES TO RESPECT THE DIGNITY AND CULTURE OF
IRAQ. AL-MEZEL LINKED AMERICAN ACTIONS IN IRAQ TO ISRAEL'S
OCCUPATION OF THE PALESTINIANS, REFERRING TO AN AMERICAN SOLDIER
ARRESTING AN IRAQI AND TYING HIS HANDS WITH A PLASTIC CORD AS
"THE SAME TYPE USED BY ISRAELI SOLDIERS IN THE PALESTINIAN
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES."

WAHBA