MEDIA REACTION ON WAR ON IRAQ

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