Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03AMMAN1735
2003-03-23 12:05:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

MEDIA REACTION ON WAR ON IRAQ

Tags:  KMDR JO 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001735

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR,
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN
USAID/ANE/MEA
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: KMDR JO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON WAR ON IRAQ

Summary

-- Lead stories in all papers today, March 23,
continue to focus on the war on Iraq. Wire service
reports appeared under banner headlines highlighting
"resistance" encountered by coalition forces, civilian
casualties and growing anti-war protests. Headlines
in several papers refer to Iraqis killed to date as
"martyrs." One paper featured a graphic color
photograph (from Al Jazeera television) of a child
with his head blown apart. Papers also carried color
photos of a burning Baghdad. Another lead story
focuses on King Abdullah's meeting with the Jordanian
Cabinet, during which he expressed satisfaction with
his government's efforts to maintain order and
security, while calling for sympathetic treatment for
those demonstrating against the war.

Editorial Commentary

-- "Who picks up the war bill?"

Centrist, influential among the elite English daily
Jordan Times (03/23) editorializes: "U.S. President
George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair
have publicly stated their long-term commitment to the
rebuilding of Iraq on several occasions. But they
have been less than transparent with their own
constituencies on what that means, especially on a
financial level. The United States has a long record
of forsaking countries which it entered as a
`liberator'. The last such example is Afghanistan,
where Washington's promises of aid, progress and
prosperity are still light-years away from
materializing. As a politician, Bush cannot afford to
leave a mess in Iraq. But, put aside his chances for
re-election, the United States at this stage does not
look like a country capable of taking care of itself,
let alone Iraq.. The Bush administration has over the
past few days craftily avoided questions on how much
the war alone would cost. It might be a long time, if
ever, before Washington spells out how much exactly it
thinks to commit to piece Iraq back together."

-- "A war, not a `crusade'"

Daily columnist Bater Wardam writes on the back page
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour
(03/23): "President George Bush may be using many
religious phrases and words in his speeches, and he
may be personally under the impression that he is
fulfilling a `sacred mission' authorized to him by
`god' when he launches war on Iraq. The fact is,
however, Bush is fulfilling a mission given to him by
the lobby of the oil companies, such as those of
Cheney and Rice, to control the Iraqi oil, by the
hawks of the military industry, such as Rumsfeld,
Powell and Wolfowitz, to effect an American military
hegemony over the world, and finally by the right-wing
Zionist Lobby, such as Richard Pearl, Douglas Feith
and Eliot Abrams, to protect Israel and strike any
force that could pose a threat to it. This is the
American war on Iraq: a colonialist, Zionist, oil-
related war, but definitely not a crusader
war..Statements issued by many Islamic organizations
and parties describing the American-Zionist war
against Iraq as a `crusader' war are contributing to
making many friends into enemies. They force us into
the American-Zionist trap that is seeking to create a
war of cultures between Islam and Christianity, all in
the service of Zionism. This war on Iraq is not the
last one. It might as well be called the `Iraq first'
war. It is going to be followed by other war against
countries and regimes in the region that do not abide
by the U.S. policy. This long war will not only be in
the military sense, but also on the cultural, economic
and social levels. The Arabs and Muslims will not be
able to fight it alone, that is if they decide to
fight it at all. They will need those millions of
Christians, Budhists, Jews and other who took to the
streets in protest.. The haphazard speeches, the
extremism and turning friends into enemies is a first-
class foolish policy that cannot be justified by anger
against the American aggression. Our real enemies are
those who colonize our lands, implement Zionist plans
and protect Israel."
GNEHM