MEDIA REACTION: MORE ON POWELL'S UNSC SPEECH AND MEPI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000725

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, NEA/RA, 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: MORE ON POWELL'S UNSC SPEECH AND MEPI



1. SUMMARY: LOCAL NEWSPAPERS CONTINUED TO REPORT EXTENSIVELY ON
SECRETARY POWELL'S SPEECH AT THE UNSC. EDITORIALS IN THE ARABIC

SIPDIS
DAILIES NOTE THAT THE U.S. IS PLANNING TO ATTACK IRAQ IN ORDER TO
CONTROL ARAB AND IRAQI RESOURCES, MAINLY OIL. THE EDITORIALS
ALSO CLAIM THAT THE ATTACK WOULD RESULT IN RESHAPING THE ENTIRE
REGION ACCORDING TO AMERICAN AND ISRAELI INTERESTS. MEANWHILE,
AN AL BAYAN EDITORIAL CALLED ON ARABS TO WAKE UP BEFORE IT IS TOO
LATE. END SUMMARY.


2. COMMENT: FOLLOWING THE SECRETARY'S PRESENTATION AT THE UN,
AL-ITTIHAD, THE SEMI-OFFICIAL ARABIC DAILY MOST LIKELY TO MIRROR
OFFICIAL THINKING, HAS BEEN MARKEDLY LESS NEGATIVE REGARDING USG
POLICIES TOWARDS IRAQ THAN THE OTHER, MORE DOGMATIC LOCAL ARABIC
DAILIES. AL-ITTIHAD IS RUNNING COMMENTARIES AND COVERAGE
CRITICAL OF THE IRAQI REGIME, MANY OF WHICH LARGELY BLAME THE
CURRENT CRISIS ON SADDAM HUSSEIN AND NOT THE US ADMINISTRATION.
END COMMENT.


3. UNDER THE HEADLINE, "RESHAPING THE REGION," ABU DHABI-BASED
PAN-ARAB DAILY "AKHBAR AL-ARAB" 2/8 EDITORIALIZED:

"WITH A RUDE FRANKNESS AND CLEAR WORDS, SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN
POWELL DEFINED THE REAL GOALS FOR HIS NATION'S IMPULSE TO ATTACK
IRAQ, THE REARRANGEMENT OF THE MIDDLE EAST IN ACCORDANCE TO U.S.
INTERESTS. THE OBJECTIVES OF INVADING AND OCCUPYING IRAQ ARE NOT
VIRTUAL ASSUMPTIONS ANYMORE. SECRETARY POWELL HAS DISCARDED THE
FAADE OF A DOVE AND JOINED THE HAWKS HAS PLACED THE IMMINENT WAR
ON TRACK. WE HOPE THAT POWELL'S FRANKNESS WOULD PERSUADE THE
DOUBTFUL AND DECEIVED WITH GOOD AMERICAN INTENTIONS. THE GOAL OF
THE WAR GOES BEYOND IRAQ AND IS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF A LAUNCHING
PAD TO RESHAPE THE REGION, ITS BORDERS, AND ITS REGIMES, IN
ACCORDANCE WITH AMERICAN INTERESTS WITH CONSIDERATION FOR ISRAELI
ASPIRATIONS AND AMBITIONS TO DOMINATE THE REGION AND CONTROL ITS
RESOURCES..."


4. THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL-
BAYAN" ON 2/8 WROTE IN A FRONT-PAGE EDITORIAL:

"... IRAQ MUST KNOW THAT IT IS USING ITS SPARE TIME. THE RESULT
IS BEING DECIDED. POWELL'S SPEECH BEFORE THE UNSC WAS A WAR
MESSAGE AND MUST BE UNDERSTOOD BY IRAQ AS SUCH ... THE COUNTDOWN
FOR THE WAR IS AWAITING THE COMPLETED ARRIVAL OF AMERICAN TROOPS
AFTER TWO WEEKS ... THE WAR THIS TIME WILL TAKE PLACE ON IRAQI
SOIL AND IS UNDOUBTEDLY DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS IRAQI WARS, THE
GULF WAR, AND THE WAR WITH IRAN, WHERE MOST OF THE BATTLES
OCCURRED OUTSIDE IRAQ. IT MEANS DESTROYING EVERYTHING ON THE
GROUND, AND IRAQ WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STAND IN THE FACE OF AN
AMERICAN ARSENAL EQUIPPED WITH THE MOST SOPHISTICATED AND MODERN
MACHINES ... THE U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE SAYS THAT THE WAR ON
IRAQ WOULD CAUSE SOME TROUBLE BUT THAT ALL TROUBLES WOULD BE
EASED WITH OIL. THE SUCCESS IN IRAQ WILL INCREASE AMERICA'S
APPETITE TO SWALLOW THE REST OF THE CAKE. AMERICA'S AMBITIONS
AND AGENDA ARE NOT SECRET ANYMORE. THEY STATE IT PUBLICLY IN ALL
MEDIA. THEIR SUCCESS IN IRAQ AND THE FALL OF BAGHDAD WILL LEAD
INTO RESHAPING THE REGION FUNDAMENTALLY AND POSITIVELY."


5. SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED ON
2/8:

"IS THERE A COMMON FACTOR THAT LINKS THE PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE
FOR DEMOCRACY PROPOSED BY WASHINGTON FOR THE SO-CALLED REFORM OF
THE ARAB WORLD AND THE AGGRESSION WASHINGTON AND LONDON ARE
PLANNING TO WAGE AGAINST IRAQ? THE GOAL IS ONE: RESHAPING THE
ARAB REGION FUNDAMENTALLY ACCORDING TO U.S. INTERESTS INCLUDING
THOSE OF ISRAEL ... AMERICA WILL TURN IRAQ IN PARTICULAR AND THE
ARAB NATIONS IN GENERAL INTO EARTHENWARE WHERE THE POTTER CAN
DECIDE THEIR FORM, SHAPE, SIZE AND WEIGHT. THE ISSUE IS NOT OF
ALLEGED WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION WHICH AMERICA, BRITAIN, AND
ISRAEL WANT TO ELIMINATE BUT TO TAKE CONTROL OF ARAB DESTINY AND
REDRAW IT TO SUIT THEIR NEW COLONIAL GREED..."


6. TAKING A TOUGH LINE AGAINST THE US, AN "AL BAYAN" EDITORIAL
COMMENTED ON 2/9:

"ARAB REACTION TO POWELL'S PRESENTATION ADDED FRESH EVIDENCE OF
THE ARAB REGIME'S WEAKNESS IN FRONT OF THE US OFFENCE TO
DISMEMBER AND REMAKE THE MIDDLE EAST ... WE HEARD NO BOLD ARAB
REACTION TO POWELL'S THREATS TO ATTACK IRAQ AND HIS FABRICATED
EVIDENCE ON BAGHDAD'S ALLEGED WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. IT IS
REGRETTABLE THAT THERE WAS NO ARAB REACTION TO EXPOSE POWELL'S
DRAMA TO INVADE IRAQ. UNFORTUNATELY, REACTIONS FROM WESTERN
CAPITOLS (MOSCOW, PARIS, AND BERLIN),ALTHOUGH NOT IN DEFENCE OF
IRAQ OR ARABS, WERE STRONGER AND MORE DECISIVE THAN THOSE OF ARAB
CAPITALS BECAUSE THEIR INTERESTS ARE VULNERABLE TO THE 'COWBOY'
INVASION (PLANNED) BY THE U.S. ... WHILE THESE COUNTRIES ARE
TRYING TO HAMPER THE US WAR WAGON TO PROTECT THEIR OWN INTERESTS
IN THE REGION, THE ARABS ARE INVOLVED IN SELLING THE US PROPOSAL
TO IRAQI PRESIDENT SADDAM HUSSEIN TO EXILE TO AVERT WAR."

WILLIAMS