MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ WEST BANK

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 004680 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 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 WEST BANK ¶1. SUMMARY: THE SITUATION IN IRAQ, THE AMERICAN DECISION TO DECREASE THE NUMBER OF FORCES AND THE SITUATION IN THE WEST BANK DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA. AN EDITORIAL IN "AL BAYAN" CRITICIZED AS HYPOCRITICAL PRIME MINISTER SHARON'S STATEMENT THAT EXPELLING ARAFAT IS AGAINST ISRAELI INTERESTS. ANOTHER EDITORIAL IN "AKHBAR AL ARAB" NOTED THAT THE DECISION TO DECREASE THE NUMBER OF U.S. SOLDIERS IN IRAQ IS NOT THE ONLY SOLUTION FOR DECREASING THE SECURITY THREATS FACING THEM. END SUMMARY. ¶2. NOTING THE IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL'S REQUEST TO WASHINGTON TO CALL UPON THE IRAQI SOLDIERS AND POLICEMEN WHO WERE DEMOBILIZED, ABU DHABI-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AKHBAR AL ARAB" EDITORIALIZED 10/21: "...THE TRANSITIONAL GOVERNING COUNCIL FOUND ITSELF UNABLE TO IMPOSE SECURITY IN ANY AREA OF IRAQ, SINCE IT DOES NOT CONTROL THE TROOPS AND CAN'T MANAGE THE NEW POLICE WHICH IS INEXPERIENCED COMPARED TO A MOVING POWER THAT KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT STREET AND CITY BATTLES... IRAQ NOW IS IN GREAT NEED OF AN ARMY, POLICE, AND EDUCATIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONALS TO TAKE OVER THE POSITIONS THAT ARE VACANT... IN ORDER FOR STABILITY TO BE CONTINUOUS, BRINGING BACK THE IRAQI MILITARY AND POLICE SHOULD BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE PLAN TO REPLACE THE OCCUPATION FORCES WITH ARAB FORCES WHOSE ROLE WILL BE TO HELP TRANSFER THE ADMINISTRATION TO THE IRAQIS THROUGH DEMOCRATIC VOTING." ¶3. COMMENTING ON ISRAEL LEAKING SOME INFORMATION REGARDING THEIR BATTLE TRAINING ON THE EGYPTIAN FRONTIER, SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 10/20: "... THE ISRAELI MILITARY PREPARATIONS HAVE ONE MEANING, AND THAT IS RIPPING UP THE OSLO AGREEMENT, ENDING THE 'STOPPING OF CONFRONTATION' AGREEMENT ON THE SYRIAN FRONTIER, AND TEARING UP THE 'CAMP DAVID' AGREEMENT ON THE EGYPTIAN FRONTIER, AND THIS IS ALSO THE SITUATION REGARDING THE 'WADI ARABA' AGREEMENT FOR JORDAN... ISRAEL HAS WON ITS SHARE OF AGREEMENTS, TREATIES, AND HAS LIED ABOUT PURSUIT OF PEACE BY ACHIEVING MORE STRATEGIC SUPERIORITY ON ALL LEVELS. IT ALSO DISABLED ALL THE ACTIVE ARABIC MILITARY, POLITICS, AND ECONOMIC AGENDAS, AND WITH THE AMERICAN EXISTENCE IN IRAQ IT (ISRAEL) SEEMS AS IF IT IS DOMINATING THE WHOLE REGION..." ¶3. NOTING THE SUGGESTION REGARDING DECREASING THE NUMBER OF SOLDIERS IN IRAQ GRADUALLY, "AKHBAR AL ARAB" EDITORIALIZED 10/20: "...THE DECREASE SUGGESTED WILL NOT PREVENT THE DANGERS THE U.S. TROOPS ARE FACING SINCE THEY ARE SPREAD OVER A LARGE AREA OF LAND AND ARE DAILY BEING FACED BY ARMED ATTACKS THAT LEAD TO THE DEATH OF A NUMBER OF U.S. SOLDIERS AND INJURY OF HUNDREDS... DESPITE THE CLAIMS OF THE HARDNESS AND COMPLICATIONS OF THE EQUATION, ITS SOLUTION IS EASY IF THE ACTIVE WILL OF IRAQIS WAS AVAILABLE TO GET OUT OF THIS DILEMMA. THE SOLUTION IS BASED ON THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE OCCUPATION FORCES AT THE SAME TIME AS FOREIGN AND ARAB FORCES TAKE THEIR PLACE, WHICH WILL LEAD TO SPREADING SELF- CONFIDENCE WITHIN THE IRAQI PEOPLE..." ¶4. DESCRIBING THE REASONS BEHIND PRIME MINISTER SHARON'S NEW ATTITUDE REGARDING THE EXPULSION OF PRESIDENT ARAFAT, DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 10/19: "... THIS NEW 'SHARONI' ATTITUDE MEANS THAT THE ZIONIST PRIME MINISTER AGREED TO THE U.S. ATTITUDE THAT REJECTS EXPELLING ARAFAT, AND THIS REJECTION IS NOT OUT OF LOVE FOR THE PRESIDENT OF THE PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT BUT BECAUSE EXPELLING HIM WILL ALLOW HIM FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT... THIS IS NOT ALL, THE SLAUGHTERER SHARON IS LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE TO PIN ON HIS FAILURE OF DESTROYING THE PALESTINIAN ENTIFADA, AN EXCUSE IN FRONT OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY AND THE PUBLIC OPINION. THIS EXCUSE IS THAT ARAFAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT THIS SLAUGHTERER CALLS PALESTINIAN TERRORISM..." WAHBA