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