Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03ABUDHABI4850
2003-11-04 03:36:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Cable title:  

SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: AL-ITTIHAD BUSINESS COLUMNIST

Tags:  OIIP KMDR TC 
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Cable 
Text: 
 
 
UNCLASSIFIED

SIPDIS
TELEGRAM November 04, 2003


To: No Action Addressee 

Action: Unknown 

From: AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI (ABU DHABI 4850 - UNKNOWN) 

TAGS: OIIP, KMDR 

Captions: None 

Subject: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: AL-ITTIHAD BUSINESS COLUMNIST 
 REPORTS ON HIS WEEK-LONG TRIP TO IRAQ 

Ref: None 
_________________________________________________________________
UNCLAS ABU DHABI 04850

SIPDIS
CXABU:
 ACTION: PAO 
 INFO: ECON POL AMB DCM 
Laser1:
 ACTION: PAO 

DISSEMINATION: PAO
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: PAO:HOLSIN-WINDECKER
DRAFTED: PAO:AHOSHAN
CLEARED: NONE

VZCZCADI329
OO RUEHC RUENAAA RUEKJCS RUEHZM RUEHLO RUEHFR
RHRMDAB RUCJACC RUCQSOC
DE RUEHAD #4850/01 3080336
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 040336Z NOV 03
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2281
RUENAAA/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEHZM/GCC COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON// PASS TO MOC// 0736
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0766
RHRMDAB/COMUSNAVCENT
RUCJACC/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
RUCQSOC/USCINCSOC MACDILL AFB FL//PA//
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 004850 

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: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: AL-ITTIHAD BUSINESS COLUMNIST
REPORTS ON HIS WEEK-LONG TRIP TO IRAQ


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 004850

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: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: AL-ITTIHAD BUSINESS COLUMNIST
REPORTS ON HIS WEEK-LONG TRIP TO IRAQ



1. SUMMARY: THROUGHOUT THE WEEK OCTOBER 25-31, JOURNALIST SHIHAB
GERGASH OF AL-ITTIHAD WROTE A 7-PART SERIES DESCRIBING A TRIP TO
IRAQ. HIS UPBEAT ARTICLES NOTE THAT IRAQ UNDER BREMER IS FULL OF
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES, THAT THE MARKETS IN BAGHDAD AND
OTHER IRAQI CITIES ARE FULL OF GOODS AND LIFE IS ALMOST NORMAL,
AND ATTRIBUTES THE DISTORTED IMAGE OF IRAQ TO THE ARAB SATELLITE
CHANNELS. END SUMMARY.


2. UAE COLUMNIST AND BUSINESS WRITER SHIHAB GERGASH WROTE IN ABU
DHABI-BASED SEMI-OFFICIAL ARABIC DAILY "AL-ITTIHAD" A 7-PART
SERIES ON A TRIP TO IRAQ. IN THE FIRST SEGMENT ON OCTOBER 25, HE
WRITES THAT "WE HEAR AND READ ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN
OCCUPIED IRAQ. IN THESE CLOUDY CIRCUMSTANCES I MADE A TRIP TO
IRAQ THROUGH WHICH I TRIED TO SEPARATE LIES FROM FACTS. DURING
THIS WEEK WE WILL REVIEW WHAT I SAW THERE WHICH BRINGS WITH IT
PROMISES OF A BETTER FUTURE AND WARNINGS AGAINST THE FALL IN THE
ABYSS. THE IRAQ OF BREMER THAT WE SEE TODAY IS FULL OF
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES AT THE SAME TIME."


3. "...THE IRAQ OF BREMER IS MORE LIKE A WHITE PAINTING WHERE
THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ ARE DRAWING THEIR VIEW FOR A BETTER FUTURE AND
MORE HONORABLE LIFE. IT IS A CHANCE TO BUILD A NEW SOCIETY ON A
SOUND BASIS AND A STRONG ECONOMY THAT WOULD BE A MODEL FOR ALL...
THE IRAQ OF BREMER IS A PROVISIONAL STOPPING POINT ON THE ROAD
TOWARD AN INDEPENDENT IRAQ. HOWEVER, FOLLOWING (ARAB) SATELLITES
EVERY EVENING PERSUADES US OF THE POOR SITUATION AND DESPAIR IN
THE FUTURE."


4. PART TWO TELLS THE READERS THAT BAGHDAD'S MARKETS ARE FULL OF
GOODS WHERE IRAQIS AND AMERICAN SOLDIERS BUY THEIR NECESSITIES
TOGETHER. "IN GENERAL MONEY IS AVAILABLE AND THE CONSUMER WANTS
TO END LONG YEARS OF DEPRIVATION WITH VERY LITTLE LUXURY..."


5. IN THE THIRD SEGMENT, GERGASH NOTES THAT "BAGHDAD'S STREETS
BECOME EVACUATED AT NIGHT AND EVERYONE AVOIDS LEAVING, AVOIDING
THE CRIMINAL ELEMENTS AND THE CURFEW THAT BECOMES EFFECTIVE AT
MIDNIGHT. THEREFORE, WE GATHER AROUND THE TV WHERE THE SATELLITE
CHANNELS BECOME THE ONLY TOOL THAT TELLS US ABOUT ANYTHING THAT
HAPPENS OUTSIDE. THERE IS A GREAT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REALITY AND
WHAT WE SEE IN THE NEWS CHANNELS. EXCEPT FOR THE NIGHT OUTINGS,
EVERYTHING IS ALMOST NORMAL... THE PROBLEM OF THE DISTORTED IMAGE
OF IRAQ IN THE EYES OF THE ARABS IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ARAB
SATELLITES THAT HAVE NOT SUCCEEDED IN PORTRAYING AN IMAGE AWAY
FROM EMOTIONAL EXAGGERATION. EMOTIONS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE
REASON FOR MOST OF OUR CRISES IN THESE BITTER DAYS WE LIVE IN."


6. IN THE FOURTH SEGMENT, THE AUTHOR TALKS ABOUT KURDS WHO ARE
CONFUSED BETWEEN THEIR EMOTIONAL DESIRE FOR AN INDEPENDENT
KURDISH STATE AND THEIR REASON THAT WARNS THEM AGAINST THE
SEPARATION FROM THE BIGGER IRAQ. "THE CITIES OF KURDISTAN ARE
MORE SECURE AND CLEANER THAN THE REST OF IRAQI CITIES AND LIFE IS
NORMAL UNDER THE CONTROL OF KURDISH PARTIES..."


7. IN EPISODE FIVE, GERGASH TALKS ABOUT THE AMERICAN
DETERMINATION TO PROVIDE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE LARGEST
NUMBER OF IRAQI PEOPLE, BUT THE PROBLEM IS THAT EVEN THEY DO NOT
KNOW HOW. "IN ANY CHAT WITH AMERICAN OFFICIALS THEY REITERATE
THAT THE INEVITABLE ECONOMIC REFORM AND THE BOOSTING OF THE ROLE
OF THE IRAQI CITIZEN IN REBUILDING THEIR NATION WILL BE DONE
THROUGH TRADE AND INVESTMENT AND OTHER INCREASING BUSINESS
ACTIVITIES. THE QUESTION OF PRIVATIZATION IS ANOTHER ISSUE OF
CONFUSION... DUE TO THE SECURITY SITUATION..."


8. IN THE SIXTH EPISODE, THE AUTHOR TELLS US ABOUT HIS TRIP TO
FALLUJAH, WITH IMAGES OF BOMBS, BATTLES, AND APACHES. "FALLUJAH
WAS FREE OF ANY AMERICAN PRESENCE BECAUSE THEY HAVE DECIDED TO
QUIT THE CITY AND ONLY GO THERE WHENEVER IT IS NECESSARY. THE
CITY DOES NOT SEEM THE RIGHT PLACE TO HAVE LUNCH, BUT THIS IS
WHAT WE DID. WE DECIDED TO GO AND HAVE LUNCH AT HAJI HUSSEIN'S
RESTAURANT...WITH A LARGE CROWD OF TRUCK DRIVERS AND OTHERS..."


9. IN THE LAST EPISODE THE AUTHOR TELLS US THAT HE VISITED IRAQ
BY LAND FROM AMMAN, CROSSING A DESERT OF MORE THAN 1000
KILOMETERS BY VAN. "THE DRIVER HAS BEEN DOING SO FOR LONG YEARS.
THE DRIVER'S RELATIONS ARE EXCEPTIONALLY IMPORTANT AT THE
JORDANIAN-IRAQI BORDERS. THE JORDANIAN BORDERS ARE STRANGE. ON
ONE HAND THEY REPRESENT AN EXIT SIMILAR TO THE UMBILICAL CORD FOR
THE JORDANIAN ECONOMY FOR TWO DECADES. THE ROAD ON THE JORDANIAN
SIDE IS OLD AND DANGEROUS, THE INSTALLATIONS ARE AGING AND THE
TREATMENT OF THE CUSTOMS VERY DRY, AWAY FROM ANY HUMAN AND
COOPERATIVE SPIRIT. HOWEVER, MY TREATMENT WAS PREFERABLE BECAUSE
I WAS FOREIGNER AND NOT IRAQI. THIS IS WHY I ASKED THE DRIVER TO
TAKE ME TO THE AIRPORT WHERE I MANAGED TO ARRANGE MY RETURN TO
THE UAE. MY WEEK'S EXPERIENCE IN IRAQ WAS FULL OF EXPERIENCES
THAT WOULD TELL US WHERE IRAQ IS HEADING IN THE FUTURE."

ALBRIGHT