MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ, BOMBING OF JORDANIAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005067

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, BOMBING OF JORDANIAN
EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD

Summary

-- Lead story in the weekend papers, was the bombing
of the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad. Lead story in all
papers today (08/11) focuses on the Jordanian
Parliament, which has begun discussion on a
forthcoming vote of confidence measure. Other lead
stories today (08/11) focus on shelling over the
Israeli-Lebanese border and the demonstrations in
Basra.






Editorial Commentary

-- "The Bombing Is Aimed At Breaking Solidarity "

Commenting on the bombing of the Jordanian Embassy in
Baghdad, Columnist Samih Ma'aytah writes in the inside
page of independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab
Al-Yawm(08/10): "It is our duty to say that whoever
killed innocent lives and bombed the embassy is not a
pure Iraqi. The Iraqis, who are suffering from the
occupation and of depression, are aware that their
problem is not with a brother but with a clearly
defined enemy. Therefore, whoever did this is an enemy
of the Iraqis and of the Jordanians and of every true
Arab and Muslim . . . We must take it easy before we
issue any verdicts and before we hold one party or
another responsible for this act. However, we are well
aware that whoever bombed the embassy did not seek to
destroy the building, but wanted to break the state of
solidarity with Iraq and to spark Jordanian anger,
even if temporary, against Iraq and its people and to
lead us to something that contradicts our Arab
Jordanian traditions and values."

-- "Why Strike Our Embassy in Baghdad?"

Daily columnist Sultan Hattab writes on the op-ed page
of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai
(08/11): "Those who struck our embassy on Thursday
wanted to choke off the Iraqis and tighten the noose
around them because they (who did it) were angered
that this vein should continue to provide life and
renew air supply. Those who committed the bombing were
also enraged when they learned of our embassy's
history and examined its role and accomplishments so
that once "rule" collapsed and chaos prevailed, they
targetted it thinking that they could topple the mast
that hold this Jordanian characteristic . . . The
Jordanian Embassy will remain so long as the Iraqis -
who value this Embassy's role and who have announced
over the past hours their pride in its role - remain.
The Jordanian Embassy will remain so long as Jordan
believes in its pan-Arab and humanitarian role and in
defending its interests too. Jordan will not be held
back by the hatred of malevolent people."

-- "A War Is Over and A War Has Begun"

Daily columnist Dr. Fahd Fanek writes on the back page
of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai
(08/11): "Richard Myers, U.S. Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, has finally confessed that the war is
not over and that U.S. forces are facing a special
kind of war in central Iraq, but claimed that his
statement does not contradict the U.S. President's
statement that the war is over. This is because the
President said that the main operations are over and
did not mean the resistance of the Iraqi people,
something not expected by the United States, which was
convinced by the new (Iraqi) governors and the Iraqi
opposition abroad that U.S. soldiers would be
considered liberators and not occupiers and that the
Iraqis will receive them with roses and not bullets. .
. The Iraqis do not need anyone to instigate them to
exercise violence. Violence is their right and the
right of all peoples who are under foreign occupation.
Violence is a popular resistance that cannot be
compared to the violence of a foreign occupation and
its coercive methods."

-- "Bremer and the Iraqi Resistance"

Daily columnist Basem Sakijha writes on the op-ed page
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour
(08/11): "It is certain that the operations against
U.S. occupation forces in Iraq are not acts by
individuals and they do not belong to a specific
organization. These operations have spread across
Iraq and they tend to be more concentrated in the
Sunni areas of central and west Iraq . . . "Bremer -
who headed the Counter Terrorism Office at the U.S.
State Department in the 1980s - fears an alliance
between Ansar Al-Islam and Al-Qaeda. He is focused on
that and does not mention the word "resistance" even
once. It is as if we are going to witness a new twist
to the idea of combating terrorism, but this time in
the Iraqi arena. This is an idea that appeals to the
U.S. citizen who still pictures the destruction of the
two towers . . . What is happening is close to a
popular resistance in the making. It is spreading on a
daily basis all across Iraq. One cannot ignore what
happened in Basra, the well know Shiite area, and
consider it an act that is separate from the fidayeen
operations. Indeed, it should be looked at as the
start of a true popular revolution with all this U.S.-
British fumbling about in Iraq's affairs . . . We
believe that the bombing of the Jordanian Embassy is
nothing but a suspect incident that seeks to shuffle
the cards and as we said in a previous commentary, we
must search for the beneficiary of this act, which
will not necessarily be outside the circle of the
ruling right wing alliance in Israel and Washington."
HALE