Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03AMMAN7276
2003-11-06 13:18:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Amman
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. 061318Z Nov 03
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 007276
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, MIDDLE EAST
Summary
-- A lead story in all papers today, November 6,
focuses on developments in Iraq, with reports of three
explosions that rocked the U.S. military command's
headquarters in Mosul yesterday and that the U.S.
forces arrested two Iraqi generals suspected of
organizing part of the resistance in the Sunni
triangle in Iraq. All papers report Kurdish leader
Jalal Talbani's statements criticizing Syria's "wrong"
policy towards Iraq. Al-Dustour reports that the
United States is getting ready to deploy thousands of
its reserve troops in Iraq. Papers also report that
the dispute continues between Palestinian President
Yasser Arafat and Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad
Qurei over who to appoint as Palestinian interior
minister.
On the domestic front, all papers report that Foreign
Minister Muasher was the guest in a Jordan Television
program entitled "Issues and Events," during which he
said that Jordan's foreign policy does not change with
the change in government. Muasher stressed that the
establishment of an independent Palestinian state is a
Jordanian interest and that Jordan is employing its
international relations to secure a just and
comprehensive solution in the region.
In another development, all papers quote Secretary
General of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral
Resources Eng. Khaldoun Qteishat as saying that the
first shipment of Iraqi oil is expected to arrive by
sea on November 14.
Editorial Commentary on Iraq
-- "The Bombardment of "Mr." Bremer's Headquarters!"
Chief Editor Taher Udwan writes on the back page of
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm
(11/06): "The most important thing that can be deduced
from the bombardment of "Mr." Bremer's headquarters is
not about the number of missiles that succeeded in
reaching him - just like what happened to Wolfowitz at
Al-Rashid Hotel - but is about the ability of the
resistance to continue such operations from any
location in Iraq it chooses. In line with all
resistance movements in history, this confirms that
the (Iraqi) resistance has territories it can easily
move about in and that it is able to hit and
disappear. This is something that cannot happen
without a popular umbrella, which can be clearly
monitored from scenes of popular (Sunni and Shiite)
demonstrations that express anger against the
occupation and from the people's spontaneous
jubilations after each operation against Americans."
Noting that "Mr." Bremer is only a Mr. in the minds of
those who came behind the occupation's tanks and the
war-inflicted destruction, Udwan concludes: "This is a
surname used by America's parties to return the favor
for the occupying Mr. Favors done by the Americans
speak for themselves through the massacres that are
being committed against the Iraqis, the last of which
was the murder of five citizens and the burning of
their bodies after finishing their Ramadan prayers in
Dalou'iyah. In the minds of the Iraqis, the surname
"Mr." will remain confined to the heritage and
surnames they have inherited from their Islam. Or it
will be a surname they will save for the Iraqi
individual who can newly rule Iraq - an Iraq that is
free of the occupation and of hegemony and of attempts
to change its Muslim Arab skin, mind, and heart."
Editorial Commentary on the Middle East
-- "The Europeans Support Peace and Condemn Israeli
Terrorism"
Commenting on the European public opinion poll that
awarded Israel the title of "greatest danger to world
peace," columnist Mahmoud Rimawi writes on the op-ed
page of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai
(11/06): "One surprisingly notices that the European
Union deliberately chose to take its time and was
reluctant before it released the results of the poll.
The requirements of Western democratic and
constitutional life impose on the countries of this
union to be guided by those results and to formulate
their policies base on them. This is given that as a
whole, European stands are good and objective but lack
their implementation and translation into tangible
steps and measures."
Rimawi concludes: "All Arab parties, individually or
as a whole, should "empower" themselves from the
results of this poll so as to organize a political and
diplomatic attack against the criminal occupying
Israeli force, which does not stop threatening to
drown the region in blood in addition to its exercise
of the policy of ethnic cleansing against Palestinians
- the sons of the occupied territories." GNEHM
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, MIDDLE EAST
Summary
-- A lead story in all papers today, November 6,
focuses on developments in Iraq, with reports of three
explosions that rocked the U.S. military command's
headquarters in Mosul yesterday and that the U.S.
forces arrested two Iraqi generals suspected of
organizing part of the resistance in the Sunni
triangle in Iraq. All papers report Kurdish leader
Jalal Talbani's statements criticizing Syria's "wrong"
policy towards Iraq. Al-Dustour reports that the
United States is getting ready to deploy thousands of
its reserve troops in Iraq. Papers also report that
the dispute continues between Palestinian President
Yasser Arafat and Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad
Qurei over who to appoint as Palestinian interior
minister.
On the domestic front, all papers report that Foreign
Minister Muasher was the guest in a Jordan Television
program entitled "Issues and Events," during which he
said that Jordan's foreign policy does not change with
the change in government. Muasher stressed that the
establishment of an independent Palestinian state is a
Jordanian interest and that Jordan is employing its
international relations to secure a just and
comprehensive solution in the region.
In another development, all papers quote Secretary
General of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral
Resources Eng. Khaldoun Qteishat as saying that the
first shipment of Iraqi oil is expected to arrive by
sea on November 14.
Editorial Commentary on Iraq
-- "The Bombardment of "Mr." Bremer's Headquarters!"
Chief Editor Taher Udwan writes on the back page of
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm
(11/06): "The most important thing that can be deduced
from the bombardment of "Mr." Bremer's headquarters is
not about the number of missiles that succeeded in
reaching him - just like what happened to Wolfowitz at
Al-Rashid Hotel - but is about the ability of the
resistance to continue such operations from any
location in Iraq it chooses. In line with all
resistance movements in history, this confirms that
the (Iraqi) resistance has territories it can easily
move about in and that it is able to hit and
disappear. This is something that cannot happen
without a popular umbrella, which can be clearly
monitored from scenes of popular (Sunni and Shiite)
demonstrations that express anger against the
occupation and from the people's spontaneous
jubilations after each operation against Americans."
Noting that "Mr." Bremer is only a Mr. in the minds of
those who came behind the occupation's tanks and the
war-inflicted destruction, Udwan concludes: "This is a
surname used by America's parties to return the favor
for the occupying Mr. Favors done by the Americans
speak for themselves through the massacres that are
being committed against the Iraqis, the last of which
was the murder of five citizens and the burning of
their bodies after finishing their Ramadan prayers in
Dalou'iyah. In the minds of the Iraqis, the surname
"Mr." will remain confined to the heritage and
surnames they have inherited from their Islam. Or it
will be a surname they will save for the Iraqi
individual who can newly rule Iraq - an Iraq that is
free of the occupation and of hegemony and of attempts
to change its Muslim Arab skin, mind, and heart."
Editorial Commentary on the Middle East
-- "The Europeans Support Peace and Condemn Israeli
Terrorism"
Commenting on the European public opinion poll that
awarded Israel the title of "greatest danger to world
peace," columnist Mahmoud Rimawi writes on the op-ed
page of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai
(11/06): "One surprisingly notices that the European
Union deliberately chose to take its time and was
reluctant before it released the results of the poll.
The requirements of Western democratic and
constitutional life impose on the countries of this
union to be guided by those results and to formulate
their policies base on them. This is given that as a
whole, European stands are good and objective but lack
their implementation and translation into tangible
steps and measures."
Rimawi concludes: "All Arab parties, individually or
as a whole, should "empower" themselves from the
results of this poll so as to organize a political and
diplomatic attack against the criminal occupying
Israeli force, which does not stop threatening to
drown the region in blood in addition to its exercise
of the policy of ethnic cleansing against Palestinians
- the sons of the occupied territories." GNEHM