MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ ROADMAP

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 002287 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 ROADMAP ¶1. SUMMARY: SECRETARY POWELL'S VISIT TO THE REGION, THE ONGOING RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ, AND THE ROADMAP DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA. AN "AL BAYAN" EDITORIAL COMMENTED ON SECRETARY POWELL'S VISIT TO THE REGION, LABELING THE OPTIMISM SIPDIS SURROUNDING THE VISIT AS "UNJUSTIFIED." AN "AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIAL URGED PRESIDENT BUSH TO ESTABLISH A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR A SETTLEMENT OF THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT BEFORE THE END OF HIS TERM. END SUMMARY. ¶2. SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL KHALEEJ" AND SISTER ENGLISH- LANGUAGE DAILY "GULF TODAY" CONDUCTED AN INTERVIEW WITH U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UAE, MARCELLE WAHBA, AT THE U.S. EMBASSY IN ABU DHABI. BOTH "AL KHALEEJ" AND "GULF TODAY" PUBLISHED THE TRANSCRIPT FULL-PAGE, IN ITS ENTIRETY, AND IN A Q & A FORMAT. IN THE INTERVIEW, AMBASSADOR WAHBA DISCUSSED THE ROADMAP, THE RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ, AND U.S. RELATIONS WITH SYRIA, IRAN, AND THE UN. HEADLINES INCLUDED: --"NEXT STEP IS THE ROADMAP; SYRIAN ROLE VITAL: WAHBA" (GULF TODAY) --"US FOCUS IS NOW ON THE PEACE ROADMAP" (GULF TODAY) --"THE ROADMAP IS OUR NEXT STEP AND WILL NOT BE CHANGED OR MODIFIED" (AL KHALEEJ) --"AMERICA LOOKS FOR A POSITIVE, UNOBSTRUCTIVE ROLE FROM DAMASCUS" (AL KHALEEJ) --"IRAQIS SHOULD RULE THEIR COUNTRY, AND THE UNITY OF IRAQ IS OUR TOP PRIORITY" (AL KHALEEJ) ¶3. COMMENTING ON ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER ARIEL SHARON'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE CONTINUATION OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH SYRIA, "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 5/10: "... SHARON IS NOT IN A HURRY TO START NEGOTIATIONS WITH SYRIA, SINCE THE REGIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES, THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION OF IRAQ, ARAB CONCESSIONS, AND THE UNLIMITED AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR HIS ADMINISTRATION AND ITS AGGRESSIVE POLICIES ARE ALL REASONS THAT ENCOURAGE HIM TO PLACE A STICK IN THE WHEELS TO STOP ANY ATTEMPT AT PEACE. THAT IS WHY HE (SHARON) IS CONSIDERING NEGOTIATIONS WITH SYRIA WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS ..." ¶4. COMMENTING ON THE OPTIMISM SURROUNDING SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL'S VISIT TO THE REGION, DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED ARABIC DAILY "AL-BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 5/10: "... OPTIMISTS SHOULD BE REALISTIC IN DEALING WITH THIS VISIT AND SHOULD NOT GIVE IT MORE CREDIT THAN IT DESERVES. ISRAEL HAS NOT MADE A STRATEGIC DECISION FOR PEACE AS AN OPTION IN DEALING WITH THE ARAB WORLD." ¶5. URGING PRESIDENT BUSH TO TAKE DECISIVE ACTION ON THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS, ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED 5/10: "... WE KNOW THAT PRESIDENT BUSH, WHOSE TERM ENDS NEXT YEAR, WAS ABLE TO SUCCEED IN BOTH AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ, BUT THE LITTLE TIME HE HAS LEFT FOR HIS CURRENT TERM MIGHT NOT GIVE HIM TIME TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A COMPLICATED CONFLICT SUCH AS THAT IN THE MIDDLE EAST; HE COULD HOWEVER AT LEAST ESTABLISH A FOUNDATION FOR AN ONGOING SETTLEMENT TO PROVIDE ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE REGION WITH SECURITY, PEACE, AND ECONOMIC GROWTH. HOWEVER, THIS MUST NOT BE AT THE EXPENSE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND THEIR RIGHT TO AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY." ¶6. REFERRING TO THE RECENT ATTACKS IN RIYADH AND ASSERTING THAT TERRORISM IS SPREADING LIKE THE FLU IN THE MIDDLE EAST, "AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED 5/09: "... EXTERMINATING THOSE (TERRORISTS) AND ERADICATING THEM ... IS AN INTERNATIONAL AND HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL COUNTRIES AND PEOPLE, SINCE THEY THREATEN EVERYONE AND DO NOT DIFFERENTIATE BY SEX, RELIGION, COLOR OR LANGUAGE, AND THEY THREATEN SOULS, PROPERTIES, AND CIVILIZATION IN ALL ITS ASPECTS. THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERRORISM SHOULD BECOME STRONGER THAN IN THE PAST, AND ALL ORGANIZATIONS, GOVERNMENTS, AND EVEN ORDINARY PEOPLE SHOULD COOPERATE TO STOP THIS DANGER AND REVEAL ITS SOURCES IN ORDER TO EXTERMINATE IT FROM THE WHOLE WORLD." ¶7. UNDER THE HEADLINE "A MAP WITH NO ROAD," "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 5/08: "... SHARON DOES NOT WANT A LEGAL ENTITY OR EVEN A REAL COUNTRY FOR THE PALESTINIANS. AT THE BEST, HE WANTS RACIST CAMPS LIKE THE 'BANTUSTANS' THAT WERE IN SOUTH AFRICA WHEN IT WAS RULED BY APARTHEID OR TO BE OCCUPIED FOREVER WITHOUT RIGHTS. THE LIKUD CONFIRMED THEIR REJECTION ESTABLISHING A 'REPUBLIC OF PALESTINE,' WHICH MEANS THAT THE 'REPUBLIC' OF THE ROADMAP WILL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY EXCEPT AS DEMANDED BY THE ZIONISTS ..." ¶8. CRITICIZING SADDAM HUSSEIN'S REGIME, "AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED 5/08: "... THE COLLAPSED REGIME DID NOT LEAVE ANY GOOD DEEDS THAT COULD LEAD TO ANY SYMPATHY FOR IT, IT LEFT ONLY MISERABLE MEMORIES ... IT LEFT THE GRAVES OF AS MANY VICTIMS AS THERE ARE PALM TREES IN IRAQ, TORTURE DENS AS LONG AS THE TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES, AND INNUMERABLE EXECUTION FIELDS ..." ALBRIGHT