MEDIA REACTION: THREATS TO SYRIA CONTROL OF IRAQ

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001811

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: THREATS TO SYRIA CONTROL OF IRAQ


1. SUMMARY: U.S. WARNINGS TO SYRIA, U.S. CONTROL OF IRAQ, AND
TODAY'S MEETING IN NASSERIYA FOR IRAQI COMMUNITY LEADERS
DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE MEDIA. UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN
WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" THAT SYRIA IS NOT THE ONLY TARGET. AN "AL
ITTIHAD" EDITORIAL DESCRIBED THE IRAQI OPPOSITION MEETING AS "A
TRUE TEST." END SUMMARY.


2. DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED ARABIC DAILY "AL-BAYAN" CARRIED
A FIRST PAGE ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY LONDON BASED "SAWT AL OROBA."
THE ARTICLE INCLUDED A STATEMENT BY AN AMERICAN OFFICIAL ABOUT A
DEAL BETWEEN U.S. FORCES AND IRAQI ARMED FORCES THAT LED TO THE
FALL OF BAGHDAD. FURTHER DETAILS WERE REPORTED IN AN INTERNAL
ARTICLE IN "AL BAYAN." THE ARTICLE CLAIMED THAT THE DEAL WAS
CONTINGENT UPON THE BOMBING OF AL JAZEERA AND ABU DHABI TV AT THE
PALESTINE HOTEL TO PROHIBIT MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE DEAL.


3. ABU DHABI TV AIRED A TWO-HOUR PROGRAM LAST NIGHT THAT DEVOTED
ONE WHOLE HOUR TO DISCUSSING THE THEORY OF OIL BEING THE MAIN
OBJECTIVE FOR U.S.'S WAR AGAINST IRAQ. THE PROGRAM CORRESPONDENT
JASSEM AZZAWI INTERVIEWED THE FORMER SAUDI OIL MINISTER, MOHAMMED
ZAKI AL YAMANI, WHO DEEPENED THIS IDEA AND NOTED THAT HE
PREDICTED THIS WAR IN 1996.


4. SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" CARRIED THE
ATTACHED CARTOON, FOR WHICH THE CAPTION READS: "DON'T MAKE A
MISTAKE ... THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE ... I AM NOT LIKE HIM ...
HULAGU DROWNED THE BAGHDAD LIBRARY ... I BURNED IT!!!" (NOTE:
HULAGU KHAN IS THE MONGHOL EMPEROR WHO SACKED AND BURNED BAGHDAD
IN 1258. DURING HIS DESTRUCTION OF BAGHDAD, HULAGU ORDERED THE
BOOKS OF THE BAGHDAD LIBRARY THROWN INTO THE TIGRES RIVER TO
SYMBOLIZE HIS DESTRUCTION OF NOT ONLY THE CITY BUT A CULTURE, A
CIVILIZATION, AND A PEOPLE'S HISTORY. END NOTE.)


5. ENGLISH-LANGUAGE EXPATRIATE-ORIENTED GULF NEWS CARRIED FRONT-
PAGE A FRENCH PRESS AGENCY (AFP) WIRE ARTICLE ON THE SELECTION OF
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO MOROCCO MARGARET TUTWILER TO SUPERVISE PUBLIC
RELATIONS FOR THE OFFICE OF HUMANITARIAN AND RECONSTRUCTION
ASSISTANCE IN IRAQ.


6. COMMENTING ON THE EXPECTED IRAQI OPPOSITION MEETING TODAY IN
NASSERIYA, SEMI-OFFICIAL ABU DHABI-BASED ARABIC DAILY "AL-
ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED 4/15:

"... THIS MEETING IS A TRUE TEST FOR OPPOSITION MEMBERS OF
VARIOUS LOYALTIES, ESPECIALLY AT A TIME WHEN MANY DOUBTS ARE
RISING, IN ADDITION TO THEIR VARIOUS LOYALTIES, THEIR
CONNECTIONS, AND THEIR ABILITY TO EXPRESS THEIR PEOPLE'S
INTERESTS TRULY ... WILL THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ, WHO ARE NOT IN THE
OPPOSITION ANYMORE, SUCCEED IN BECOMING A PART OF THE PRESENT AND
FUTURE OF THE NEW IRAQ?"


7. IN A CLOSING STATEMENT, SALEM WROTE IN "AL-KHALEEJ" ON 4/15:

"... WE ALL REMEMBER THE OUTCRY THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE WHOLE
WORLD WHEN THE TALIBAN SOME YEARS AGO DESTROYED THE 'BUDDHA'
STATUE IN AFGHANISTAN. ONE OF THE COUNTRIES THAT DISAPPROVED OF
THIS WAS OF COURSE THE U.S., WHO IS CONCERNED, AS IT CLAIMS, WITH
HUMANITY, CIVILIZATION, AND HERITAGE. BUT WHAT WE ARE WITNESSING
IN BAGHDAD, BASRA, AND MOSUL OF THE LOOTING OF MUSEUMS (INCLUDING
AN INHERITANCE DAITING MORE THAN 5 THOUSAND YEARS) UNDER THE EYES
OF THE U.S. TROOPS, ASSERTS THAT THE U.S. IS USING HUMANITY,
CIVILIZATION, AND HERITAGE AS A 'RASPBERRY LEAF' TO COVER THEIR
BARBARISM." (NOTE: CERTAIN RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS CLAIM RASPBERRY
LEAVES WERE USED BY ADAM AND EVE TO COVER THEMSELVES UPON THE
REALIZATION OF THEIR NAKEDNESS IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN. END NOTE.)


8. RESPONDING TO U.S. WARNINGS TO SYRIA, UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA
SULTAN WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" ON 4/15:

"THE QUESTION ON EVERYONE'S MIND IN THE ARAB WORLD IS SUMMARIZED
IN THREE WORDS: WHOSE TURN IS IT? THIS MEANS THE NEXT U.S.
TARGET AFTER IRAQ! THE QUESTION IS VERY CRUEL AND PAINFUL BUT
THE ANSWER IS NOT AS EASY AS PEOPLE THINK. UK FOREIGN MINISTER
JACK STRAW STATED THAT THE ISSUE IS NOT ABOUT A LIST AND THAT
SYRIA IS NOT THE NEXT TARGET. YES, THE ISSUE IS NOT A LIST
BECAUSE EVERYONE IS A TARGET AND THE NEXT TARGET IS NOT ONLY
SYRIA. WHAT THIS MEANS IS NOT ONLY THE REGIMES, EVERYONE IS
GOING TO FACE THIS WHIRLWIND: REGIMES AND PEOPLE,
FUNDAMENTALISTS AND LIBERALS, ARAB NATIONALISTS AND MUSLIMS ...
EVERYONE WILL FACE THIS WHIRLWIND!!"

WAHBA