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".