MEDIA REACTION ON SHARM EL-SHEIKH AND AQABA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 003261

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TAGS: KMDR JO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON SHARM EL-SHEIKH AND AQABA
SUMMITS


News Reports

-- All dailies on June 4 led with reports, continued
on the inside pages, on the Sharm El-Sheikh summit.
In his address, King Abdullah stressed that the
Palestinian issue was the core of the Arab-Israeli
conflict and that this was a historic opportunity for
peace. President Bush's speech at the Sharm summit was
reported in frontpage headlines. He was quoted saying
that the world needs a Palestinian State and that a
free trade zone within the Middle East should be
established to guarantee stability. Another leading
report mentioned that Jordan is hosting the Bush-Abbas-
Sharon summit today in Aqaba and the mechanisms to
implement the Roadmap will be discussed. The center-
left, influential Arabic daily, Al-Dustour, led with
the headline: "The King Hosts the 'Birth of A
Palestinian State' Summit in Aqaba Today" All dailies
noted that the differences on the issue of "terrorism"
that delayed the Sharm El-Sheikh summit's opening
session and caused some participating leaders to
cancel the delivery of their scheduled speeches.

Other related frontpage reports said that Secretary of
State Powell warned Palestinian President Arafat not
to do anything that would obstruct the peace process.
It was also reported that the Arab and U.S. statements
in Sharm agreed on the rejection of terrorism and
violence and called for concessions from Israel.
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice was quoted
as saying that President Bush did not ask for the
return of the Egyptian and Jordanian ambassadors to
Israel.

-- The G-8 Summit in Evian concluded. All dailies
carried either frontpage or inside page reports on the
conclusion of the G-8 summit, which issued a final
communiqu stressing on the sovereignty of Iraq,
expressing support for the Roadmap, and calling for
the combat of terrorism.

Editorial Commentary

Editorial commentaries dealt with the Sharm and Aqaba
summits. Commentators expressed cautious optimism over
the U.S. stand on the Palestinian issue and considered
the Aqaba summit a great historic opportunity for
peace, calling for the exertion of decisive U.S.
pressures on Sharon. Below are sample commentaries.

-- "What Will Happen At the Aqaba Summit?"

Chief Editor Taher Udwan wrote in independent, mass-
appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm (06/04): "There
are negative and positive aspects of the road map. The
first and most serious of those negative aspects is
the existence of a right-wing extremist government,
headed by Sharon, in Tel Aviv. A few weeks ago,
Israel's prime minister said that he is not concerned
with the Roadmap. One thing can only explain his
presence in Aqaba today and that is, President Bush's
strong pressures on him. One of the positive aspects
of the summit is that the U.S. president, who sent his
troops to occupy Iraq in the name of liberation and
democracy is asked to put an end to the plight of the
Palestinians."

Udwan continues: "The Aqaba summit is a great and
historic opportunity for peace that will be crowned
with an independent Palestinian state. However, we
should not go overboard with out hopes and
expectations. Wagering on decisive U.S. pressures on
Sharon needs facts rather than analyses and hopes.
Moreover, the continued existence of Sharon and a
Likud government will remain a continuous threat to
the Roadmap and to empty it from its contents through
Israeli maneuvers, hurdles, and procrastinations.
However, we still must utilize this opportunity on a
Palestinian and Arab level and this is what will
happen at the Aqaba summit today."
-- "The Road Map At the Aqaba Summit"

Daily columnist Fahd Fanek wrote on the back page of
semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai
(06/04): "The presence of U.S. President Bush at the
Sharm El-Sheikh and Aqaba summits is a sign of the
United States' commitment this time. It also shows
U.S. willingness to exert enough pressure to accept
the Roadmap and to start implementing it without any
amendments - but also taking into consideration
Israel's fears as the president's reputation is
standing a test and he does not want to register any
failures on the eve of the next presidential
elections."

Fanek continues: "If President Bush succeeds in
achieving peace in the Middle East, then this will be
a compensation for some of the negative repercussions
of the aggression against Iraq and his success in this
regard will serve the interests of all parties and
will be an accomplishment that no one can deny."

He adds: "Bitter experiences in the past called for
caution. We are much more pessimistic than optimistic
and Sharon's acceptance of the Roadmap under pressure
may just be a mere tactic, after which Sharon will
jump at the first opportunity to back out and render
the plan a failure."

-- "Will The Aqaba Summit Be A Turning Point?"

Daily columnist Rakan Majali wrote on the back page of
center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour
(06/04): A"We can say that President Bush came out of
Sharm El-Sheikh summit, carrying reassurances to the
Palestinians and Israelis that any agreement between
them at the Aqaba summit will receive the world's
blessings as expressed at the Evian summit and the
Arabs' blessings as reflected at the Sharm summit."

Majali continues: "It is hoped that the Aqaba summit
will be a turning point and, primarily, a starting
point for the United States to regain some of its
credibility, based on which a just and comprehensive
peace can be built and Arab-U.S. relations can be
improved. It is also the prelude to security and
stability in the region."

-- "The Aqaba Summit"

Daily columnist Bassem Sakejha wrote on the op-ed
page of the center-left, influential Arabic daily
Al-Dustour (06/04): "It is clear that the United
States' way of dealing with the Israeli party will be
put Washington's image in the region to the test after
its occupation of Iraq."

He adds: "We are cautiously optimistic about the U.S.
stand. Introductions do not always lead to logical
results. The introductions these days indicate that
George Bush does not need the Jewish vote to win in
the next election. They voted against him in the past
elections. He just came out of two great victories in
Afghanistan and Iraq and he is enjoying world support
for his Middle East plan. All this and that leads to a
logical result, that is, pressure on Israel and
imposing a solution in the region. But, as we have
said, results may not always be logical."

Sakejha concludes: "It remains to be said that
selecting Aqaba as a venue for the summit has a
special significance. Jordan is the closest to the
Palestinian issue and its role has always been
pivotal. So, we should expect this role to increase in
the coming days."
GNEHM