MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ AND THE ROADMAP

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 002223

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: IRAQ AND THE ROADMAP



1. SUMMARY: PRESIDENT BUSH'S NOMINATION OF AMBASSADOR PAUL
BREMER TO LEAD THE RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ, THE ROADMAP, AND
ISRAEL'S DEMAND FOR SANCTIONS ON SYRIA DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE
PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA. UAE COLUMNIST, DR. ABDULKHALEQ
ABDULLA NOTED IN "AL KHALEEJ" HOW SHAMEFUL IT IS THAT IRAQIS HAVE
MORE FREEDOM TO PURSUE LIBERTY THAN ARABS IN OTHER ARAB
COUNTRIES. IN "AL ITTIHAD," DR. SHAMLAN AL EISSA CRITICIZED THE
DOUBLE STANDARD OF GCC COUNTRIES DEMANDING AN END TO THE U.S.
PRESENCE IN IRAQ WHILE ALLOWING TROOPS IN THEIR COUNTRIES. END
SUMMARY.


2. COMMENTING ON THE FORTHCOMING UN CONFERENCE ON WMD IN GENEVA
AND ISRAEL'S ADMINISTRATION OF THE CONFERENCE, DUBAI-BASED
BUSINESS-ORIENTED ARABIC DAILY "AL-BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 5/07:

"... THIS ENTITY (ISRAEL) REFUSES TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT FOR
LIMITING THE SPREAD OF WMD AT A TIME WHEN BOTH SYRIA AND EGYPT
SUGGEST THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCH AN AGREEMENT TO CLEAR THE MIDDLE
EAST OF THESE WEAPONS. REGRETTABLY, WASHINGTON REFUSED THIS
SUGGESTION. THE SUPERVISION OF THE ZIONIST ENTITY AT THE GENEVA
CONFERENCE FOR REMOVING WMD IS AN INTERNATIONAL COMEDY THAT MAKES
THE UN NOT ONLY LOSE ITS CREDIBILITY, BUT ALSO ITS VISION, SINCE
IT CAN'T SEE WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS WRONG IN AN ERA OF
AMERICAN EXPANSION."


3. CLAIMING THAT THE IRAQI PEOPLE IN U.S.-OCCUPIED IRAQ ARE MORE
FREE TO PURSUE THEIR LIBERTY THAN THE ARAB PEOPLE IN INDEPENDENT
ARAB COUNTRIES AND LABELING THIS A SHAMEFUL REALITY, UAE
COLUMNIST DR. ABDULKHALEQ ABDULLA WROTE IN SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB
DAILY "AL KHALEEJ" ON 5/06:

"... THE IMPORTANT THING FOR ARABS IS THAT THE IRAQI EXAMPLE DOES
NOT REOCCUR. THE PAINFUL EXPERIMENT IN IRAQ SHOULD NOT REOCCUR
IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE ARAB WORLD. THE EQUATION OF LIBERTY
DURING OCCUPATION EQUALED BY TYRANNY DURING INDEPENDENCE COULD
LEAD TO THE REAPPEARANCE OF THIS EXPERIMENT IN IRAQ. THE BEST
WAY TO STOP THIS IS THROUGH INTERNAL POLITICAL REFORM, IN
ADDITION TO IMPLEMENTING LIBERTY AND DEMOCRACY, SOMETHING THAT
SHOULD BE ON THE TOP OF THE LIST OF NATIONAL PRIORITIES IN THE
PERIOD AFTER THE WAR ON IRAQ."


4. CRITICIZING THE GCC COUNTRIES' POLICIES DEMANDING AN END TO
THE U.S. PRESENCE IN IRAQ WHILE ALLOWING U.S. TROOPS IN THEIR
COUNTRIES, COLUMNIST DR. SHAMLAN AL EISSA WROTE IN ABU DHABI-
BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" 5/06:

"... WHAT WE REALLY REFUSE IS THE GCC COUNTRIES DOUBLE STANDARD
POLICY TOWARDS IRAQ. ON ONE HAND THEY ACCEPT THE AMERICAN-
BRITISH-WESTERN PRESENCE IN THEIR COUNTRIES, WHILE ON THE OTHER
HAND, THEY REQUEST THAT THE U.S. TROOPS LEAVE IRAQ AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE. WHY IS IT OKAY FOR THE GCC COUNTRIES TO HAVE U.S.
TROOPS TO PROTECT THEM WHILE IT IS FORBIDDEN FOR IRAQ TO HAVE ANY
OF THESE TROOPS ON ITS LANDS, ALTHOUGH IRAQ TODAY IS IN NEED OF
THE U.S. PRESENCE MORE THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY BECAUSE OF ALL THE
CHAOS AND INSECURITY IN MOST CITIES IN IRAQ ..."

WAHBA