MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ AND U.S.-SYRIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002321

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 IRAQ AND U.S.-SYRIA
STANDOFF

Summary

-- Lead stories in all papers today, April 16, focus
on developments on Iraq's domestic front. Front-page
headlines highlight Iraqi demonstrations against the
U.S. in some Baghdad neighborhoods and the death of 10
Iraqis by Marines' fire. Reports also highlight the
Iraqi opposition meeting. Other lead stories focus on
the escalating tension between the United States and
Syria.

Editorial Commentary

-- "Stop asking for new glories"

Daily columnist Jamil Nimri writes on the back page of
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm
(04/15): "During this war, the Arab people stood
against the invasion, except for the one people who
actually fell under that invasion, for they wanted to
get rid of what they were suffering from.. After this
recent shock, would it be right to ignore those
methods of domestic rule that are justified on the
pretext that they confront foreign intervention?
Would inflaming emotions with fiery, high-noted pan-
Arab and Islamic speeches and feeding hopes of
regaining the glory of the nation justify ignoring the
oppression and corruption and stepping on of
individual citizens.. We do not want any single
leader to decide to drag us into confrontations. Only
governments elected by elected parliaments would
decide such a thing, so that people can bear the
responsibility, whether negative or positive..
Commenting on the objectives of imperialism and
Zionism in our region and for our people is masked
idleness that seeks to exempt us from holding
ourselves accountable for what we are in. Is it
logical that a regime would wage two destructive
useless wars?"

-- "Syria in the bull's eye"

Daily columnist Urayb Rintawi writes on the op-ed page
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour
(04/16): "All of a sudden, the Syrian file is opened:
Damascus harbors figures from the collapsed regime in
Baghdad; Damascus harbors terrorist organizations and
supports others; Damascus produces weapons of mass
destruction and conceals Iraqi chemical weapons. What
is being said in Washington today has definitely been
said in Tel Aviv before.. War on Syria seems
farfetched for a number of reasons. First, Syria is
not Iraq, and this is not in terms of military power,
but rather in terms of political and diplomatic
aspects. Syria has close relations with many Arab,
Muslim and European countries and its relations with
the United States, despite their tense and tepid
nature, are based on cooperation and coordination.
Second, Syria is not Iraq, because the nuance in
Syrian diplomacy can be amazing. Third, Washington,
despite the ongoing escalation against Syria, still
finds room and potential for dialogue and cooperation
with the Syrian leadership. For all these reasons, we
believe that the American campaign against Syria will
not go beyond political and diplomatic pressures."

-- "The Arab world is required to support Syria now"

Daily columnist Bater Wardam writes on the op-ed page
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour
(04/16): "U.S. intentions towards Syria are clear.
It took but one day after ensuring the collapse of the
Iraqi regime in Baghdad for America's aggressive
statements against Syria to start, using the same
false accusation: weapons of mass destruction. These
American statements raised tension and suspicion in
the Arab world, but at the same time, they removed any
doubt or misunderstanding regarding U.S. intentions,
which are aggressive and seek to guarantee full
protection for Israel."
-- "The freedom to loot and steal"

Daily columnist Fahd Fanek writes on the back page of
semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai
(04/16): "One of the strangest explanations for the
looting and stealing that occurred in Iraqi cities was
the U.S. Secretary of Defense's statement that what
happened was the outcome of the end of the era of
oppression and the beginning taste of freedom brought
by the Americans, and that these actions are
considered natural and interim aspects of moving from
the dictatorship era to the liberation era.. The
American occupation forces encouraged the looting and
stealing, not only to cover up their own looting and
stealing, but also to strike against the Iraqi people,
to break them and to destroy their self-worth and
their national pride. If America meant to strike the
regime, then the regime is now gone. America wants to
confiscate the possibility of establishing an Iraqi
state, so that the American occupation becomes a
requirement and the American leadership a refuge."
GNEHM