MEDIA REACTION ON SUICIDE BOMBINGS AND MIDDLE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002928 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 SUICIDE BOMBINGS AND MIDDLE EAST Summary -- A major story in all papers today, May 19, highlights the suicide bus bombing that took place in Jerusalem yesterday, killing seven Israelis. Lead stories today focus on preparations for the Jordanian parliamentary election scheduled for June 17. Lead stories in all papers yesterday, May 18, focuses on the suicide bombings in Casablanca, Morocco and the international reaction of condemnation for these "terrorist" actions. Editorial Commentary -- "Who let terror win?" Centrist, influential among the elite English daily Jordan Times (05/19) editorializes: "It is extremely saddening and frustrating to see terrorists succeed once again, and peace hopes repeatedly dashed because of terror. But it is also true that terrorists win when they are allowed to, when there is not enough political will to show them that they will not succeed in shaping history on their terms.. We absolutely condemn the Palestinian suicide bomber who killed seven people aboard a Jerusalem bus on Sunday. But this terrorist and his group would not have achieved their goal had Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon not put off a trip to Washington for crucial talks with President George W. Bush on the roadmap.. The terrorists who blew themselves up . certainly wanted to derail whatever was left of the peace process. But Sharon greatly helped them by putting off his peace talks in the United States.. How convenient for Sharon yesterday's suicide attacks were. He himself could not have found a better excuse to once again avoid facing his responsibilities and the unanimous will of the international community. Instead, these Jerusalem bombers handed over to him on a silver plate the perfect pretext to continue ignoring international and regional peace efforts." -- "Events and mysteries" Daily columnist Rakan Majali writes on the back page of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour (05/19): "The world embarked on a new era after the 9/11 attacks. It did have something to do with America wanting to take advantage of this terrorist crime to launch new strategies and new policies and implement its plans for the Arab world and the Muslim world in order to affect its hegemony over the world. Worse than achieving these objectives by military force and aggression is this mystery, the sneakiness and all this mystery that envelops the events that started with the 9/11 attacks and continues until today.. Mysteries continue, including the bombings in Riyadh and Casablanca. The bombings in Saudi occurred a few days after Saudi's agreement with the United States to get the latter's troops out of Saudi. The bombings in Morocco occurred after the successful of the democratic experience there. We must also note that these bombings occurred in two big countries, one in the east and one in the west. The purpose is to weaken and confuse everyone.. We must therefore ask this legitimate question: is what is happening in the Arab world now another form of and just another part of the war and pressures that aim to weaken and confuse everyone to pave the way for what the U.S. Secretary of State spoke of regarding a comprehensive SIPDIS change in the region within ten years, or is just pure coincidence?" -- "The Arab world between two fires" Chief Editor Taher Udwan writes on the back page of independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm (05/18): "The fact that Al-Qa'eda moved its war against the Americans into Arab countries is an indication of the seriousness of this terrorism that is sending tens of young Arab people to blow themselves up in operations that, at the end of the day, serve only the warmongers within the U.S. administration and the policies of the Zionist Lobby that is trying to drag the American nation into a state of constant battle with the Arabs. The Arab world is now caught between two fires: the fire of blind terrorism that wants to turn the domestic scene of Arab countries into arenas for destruction and sabotage, and the fire of Bush's war against the terrorism, the person who does not want to understand the reasons that serve terrorism and does not want to resolve the issues, without which terrorism cannot be eliminated.. The Arab world is destined to pay for the mistakes and sins of American policies in the form of blind terrorism destroying the security, stability and economy of Arab countries. As much as the Bali bombings destroyed tourism in Indonesia in favor of tourism in Australia - an ally of the United States and took part in the Iraq war, the bombings in Casablanca will destroy tourism in Morocco in favor of tourism in Spain - one of the allies in the war on Iraq." GNEHM