MEDIA REACTION: SECRETARY POWELL'S FEBRUARY 5 UNSC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000629 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/P, INR 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: SECRETARY POWELL'S FEBRUARY 5 UNSC SPEECH ¶1. SUMMARY: THE SPEECH OF SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL WAS WIDELY COVERED IN THE UAE'S PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA. ABU DHABI TV CARRIED THE SPEECH LIVE WITH ARABIC TRANSLATION. HEADLINES IN SEMI-OFFICIAL "AL-ITTIHAD" DESCRIBED THE SPEECH AS "A DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST IRAQ," AND ITS EDITORIAL DECLARED THAT POWELL'S PRESENTATION LEAVES NO ROOM FOR THE IRAQI REGIME TO MANEUVER ANY FURTHER. "AL-BAYAN" CALLED THE SPEECH AS "PROOF WHICH NEEDS PROOF". AL-KHALEEJ" BANNERED THAT POWELL "PRESENTED EVIDENCE OF (US) AGGRESSION". EDITORIALS IN "AL-KHALEEJ" AND "AL- BAYAN" CLAIMED THAT THE EVIDENCE IS NOT SUFFICIENT AND DOES NOT JUSTIFY WAR. HOWEVER, "AL-ITTIHAD" WARNED IRAQ OF GRAVE CONSEQUENCES UNLESS BAGHDAD STOPS ITS MANEUVERING . END SUMMARY. ¶2. UNDER THE HEADLINE "THE FINAL INDICTMENT PROCEDURE," ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-OFFICIAL ARABIC DAILY "AL-ITTIHAD", WHICH GENERALLY REFLECTS GOVERNMENT VIEWS, EDITORIALIZED 2/6: "WHAT CAME IN POWELL'S LONG SUBMISSION TO THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS; IT GOES BEYOND SPEECHES AND MOBILIZATION TO PAVE THE WAY FOR THE ACTUAL USE OF FORCE TO ELIMINATE IRAQ'S WMD THAT ARE CAREFULLY HIDDEN IN MOBILE CONTAINERS AND CAMOUFLAGED POSITIONS IN IRAQ.... "THE AMERICAN SUBMISSION REFLECTS THE LIMITATIONS OF THE INSPECTORS' POWER AND THEIR INABILITY TO MONITOR, PURSUE AND CONTROL MOBILE BANNED WEAPONS IN A COUNTRY WHERE THE REGIME HAS LONG EXPERIENCE IN THE ARTS OF SURVIVAL, DESPITE THE CONTINUOUS WAR IT HAS BEEN WAGING AGAINST ITS PEOPLE AND ITS NEIGHBORS EVER SINCE IT CAME TO POWER IN THE SIXTIES. THE AMERICAN SUBMISSION, SUPPORTED BY IMAGES, PHONE INTERCEPTS, AND DETAILED CHARTS, LEFT NO ROOM FOR EXTENDING THE INSPECTORS' MISSION AND PUT EXTENSIVE PRESSURE ON THE SECURITY COUNCIL TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO IMPLEMENT THE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES WHICH THE UNSC WARNED OF IF 1441 WAS VIOLATED. IT ALSO NARROWED BAGHDAD'S MARGIN FOR MANEUVER AND CLOSED THE DOOR OF EVASIONS AND PROCRASTINATION WHICH BAGHDAD USED IN THE PAST AS A WAY OUT OF ITS REPEATED CRISES WITH THE UN AND ITS INSPECTORS." "THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT POWELL'S PRESENTATION HAS OPENED THE IRAQI CRISIS UP TO CATASTROPHIC POSSIBILITIES UNLESS BAGHDAD STOPS ITS EFFORTS TO HIDE AND ELIMINATE ANY TRACE OF ITS BANNED WEAPONS AND TAKES A STEP TOWARDS CLEARING THE HUGE CONGESTION WHICH THREATENS TO EXPLODE. ONLY THEN WILL IT GAIN THE SUPPORT OF THE WORLD COMMUNITY WHICH SEEKS TO AVERT WAR BY ALL AVAILABLE MEANS." ¶3. UNDER THE HEADLINE "EVIDENCE WHICH NEEDS SOMEONE TO BELIEVE IT," SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ," KNOWN FOR ITS VOCIFEROUS ANTI-AMERICAN RHETORIC, EDITORIALIZED: "THE U.S. IS ENDEAVORING TO PREPARE DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL THEATERS FOR THE WAR IT IS READYING TO LAUNCH AGAINST IRAQ... POWELL'S SPEECH BEFORE THE UNSC YESTERDAY COMES WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF SPEEDING UP THE AGGRESSION, ESPECIALLY AFTER HE DELIBERATELY SHOWED SATELLITE IMAGES AND PHONE CONVERSATIONS IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEMONSTRATE IRAQ'S VIOLATION OF UNSCR 1441, WHICH PERMITS EXPOSING IRAQ TO GRAVE CONSEQUENCES...POWELL AND OTHERS WHO BLOW THE TRUMPETS OF WAR CAN PRESENT MORE IMAGES AND PHONE CONVERSATIONS. BUT WHO WOULD BELIEVE THEIR CREDIBILITY, SINCE THE U.S. HAS (ALREADY) MADE ITS DECISION AND THE MOBILIZATIONS HAVE REACHED THEIR PEAK? ALL WE UNDERSTOOD FROM POWELL IS THAT HE BROUGHT TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL EVIDENCE WHICH NEEDS SOMEONE TO BELIEVE IT AND RATIFY IT IN ORDER TO FINALIZE THE WAR TO DESTROY IRAQ." ¶4. DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED ARABIC DAILY "AL-BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED: "THE EVIDENCE WHICH COLIN POWELL BROUGHT TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL MAY REPRESENT THE FIRST SCENE OF THE LAST CHAPTER IN THE IRAQI CRISIS. AFTER THAT MORE INTERESTING SCENES WILL FOLLOW, AS AMERICA WANTS ACCORDING TO THE SCENARIOS THAT HAVE BEEN PREPARED BEHIND THE SCENES IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE PENTAGON...IT IS PREPARATION FOR WAR. WHETHER THIS EVIDENCE IS TRUE OR FABRICATED, IT IS ALL AIMED AT SATISFYING THOSE WHO ARE THIRSTY TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR MILITARY MIGHT...WE THANK GOD THAT THERE ARE SANE PEOPLE IN THE WEST WHO DO NOT FOLLOW AMERICA SUCH AS FRANCE AND GERMANY...WHO BELIEVE THAT THE INSPECTORS MUST BE ALLOWED TIME TO EVALUATE POWELL'S EVIDENCE...THIS IS HOW THE VOICES OF REASON ARE HEARD BY THE WORLD COMMUNITY, WHOSE EARS HAVE NOT RECEIVED FROM THE ARABS ANY WORD AS WEIGHTY AS THOSE OF THE FRENCH, THE GERMANS AND THE RUSSIANS." WILLIAMS