MEDIA REACTION 10/21/03

UNCLAS AMMAN 006716 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 10/21/03 Summary -- Lead story in all papers today, October 21, focuses on the anticipation of the Jordanian Cabinet change by the end of this week. Reports quote informed sources as saying that Faisal Fayez, currently the Royal Court Minister, will replace Ali Abul Ragheb as Prime Minister, that the new Cabinet will be cut down from 29 portfolios to 20 with a number of women ministers and young technocrats, and that the Ministry of Information will be scrapped. Another lead story highlights Israel's "massacre" in Gaza yesterday, with five air strikes, and the killing of 10 and the injury of over 70 Palestinians. Editorial Commentary -- "A new Peter the Great, this time from America" Daily columnist Khaled Mahadin writes on the op-ed page of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai (10/21): "The Americans and Europeans did not stir at the remarks made by U.S. General Boyken. No American or European official condemned these remarks and we did not hear anyone accuse the General of being anti-semitic. The White House refused to comment on Boykin's remarks, which suggests implicit support, while Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld considered these remarks a personal viewpoint. As for the Europeans, they ignored them totally, which in itself is a concurrence. Yet, when the brave Malaysian Prime Minister said that the Jews employ others, the Americans and the Europeans, to fight their wars, all hell broke loose, and we had to listen to statements of hatred and racism condemning this brave Malaysian man.. With his remarks, General Boykin decided to wage war against God, against Islam and Muslims, and he tried to portray America's war against the Arabs and Muslims as a Christian war against Islam and the war of Christians against Muslims. The truth is, however, is that Boykin, with his extremism, is waging a war against real Christianity and real Christians. The General's stupidity reached the level of declaring that President Bush Jr. was not elected by Americans but by God. Such talk is hard to comment on, because God cannot be on the side of an American president who has killed more than a million Afghani and Iraqi people in the first two years of his term in office." -- "The harmony between Bush and Bin Laden" Daily columnist Rakan Majali writes on the back-page of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour (10/21): "President George Bush was very happy with the content of Al- Qa'eda leader Osama Bin Laden's audio message. He was very happy because Bin Laden's threats confirm his repetitious statements that the threat of terrorism still exists and that America must be ready to face operations more horrible that the 9/11 attacks.. The funny thing is that the United States, which has turned Iraq into an open arena for all forms of chaos, claims that its mission in Iraq is to combat terrorism. This terrorism did not exist in Iraq and the United States paved the way for it.. The United States knows that extremist organizations form only a small percent of the total of the Muslim world. The United States knows that these organizations do not have any ruling power in any of the Muslim countries, but nevertheless continues to look at the Muslim world through Bin Laden and some other extremist figures. These are figures who will give the United States the justification to continue its aggressive war under the pretext of combating terrorism".