MEDIA REACTION ON THE GENEVA DOCUMENT, MIDDLE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 007887

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STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR,
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN
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LONDON FOR GOLDRICH
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E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: KMDR JO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON THE GENEVA DOCUMENT, MIDDLE
EAST AND IRAQ


Summary

-- The lead story in all papers today, December 4,
focuses on King Abdullah's expected summit meeting
with President Bush today in Washington, D.C. Other
stories and some commentaries continue to highlight
the aftermath to the Palestinian-Israeli Geneva
Document, including Secretary of State Powell's
decision to meet with the makers of the Document.

Editorial Commentary on the Middle East

-- "Meetings remain futile unless the Americans alter
their stance"

Former Minister of Information and current Member of
the Upper House of Parliament Saleh Qallab writes on
the back page of semi-official, influential Arabic
daily Al-Rai (12/04): "From Geneva to London to
Madrid to Amman, the peace process rises up from a
long sleep interrupted by horrible nightmares and much
bloodshed. The Americans, during the past three
years, have taken the side of Sharon's policy, as a
conspirator would, and left the violence to take its
toll on the holy land, continuing to try to impose the
Israeli will, the will of the right-wing, on the
Palestinian people, and holding the leadership of that
people responsible for the collapse of the peace
process.. If the Americans really want the peace
process to restart, they must exercise genuine
pressure on the Israeli Prime Minister.. All these
meetings and conference will remain mere jumps in the
air unless the Americans decide to turn to Sharon and
make him understand that there are requirements that
Israel will have to fulfill in order for the talk
about establishing peace to become viable.. What is
the use of these conferences, initiatives and meetings
if Sharon continues to insist on building the racist
separation wall, if Israel does not abandon its
settlement policy, and if assassinations do not stop.?
The Americans continue to wonder about the reasons and
causes for all this fundamentalist-violence that is
striking the region and the world in the name of
Islam. But they also continue to close their ears and
shut their eyes to the facts that are before them,
namely that the roots of this violence stem from
Israel's occupation of the Arab lands and Muslim holy
sites, and from the U.S. adoption of the most
extremist and right-wing of Israeli policies. The
Americans must realize that matters will move from bad
to worse if Israel continues to behave as it is doing,
and if the United States continues to run around in
the same old vicious circle of adopting Sharon's
destructive Likud stands and policies."

-- "Our misery in Geneva"

Daily columnist Basem Sakijha writes on the op-ed page
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour
(12/04): "Neither Yaser Abed Rabbo nor any other
Palestinian official or non-official has the right to
give the right of any single Palestinian to
Palestine.. A ceremony in Geneva, during which poems
for the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish are recited
and Israeli and Palestinian girls dance, can never be
the concluding chapter in the long historical march of
injustice and darkness. We are not talking about a
movie where the turn of events is decided according to
the viewpoint of a director. We are talking about a
long history of bloodshed and destruction, about a
land that was and still is occupied, and about a
people who were and still are homeless.. How can a
Palestinian wipe away the history of his people with a
mere pen or with a black signature on forgiveness
papers for the killer."


Editorial Commentary on Iraq

-- "Freedom Bush-style"
Chief Editor Taher Udwan writes on the back-page of
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm
(12/04): "The problem with the ideological aspect of
Bush's war on terrorism is that the right-wing
American administration launches great big mottos,
such as freedom and democracy, but exercises the
complete opposite on the ground. The people of this
region watch the actual actions of the Americans,
raising question marks about the content of the
freedom and the democracy that they are suggesting..
What is happening in Iraq is a new religion that suits
the imperialistic view of the cradle of civilizations
and religions. It is a brainwashing process for the
human mind in order to bring about blessing for the
occupation and for the destructions and killings done
in the name of freedom. As for resistance operations,
they are described as terrorist, criminal and bestial!
Every time a killing happens against troops that are
supporting the American army in the occupation of
Iraq, we hear capital like Tokyo, Madrid, Rome and
Seoul saying `we will not succumb to terrorism and we
will support our presence in Iraq'. So `occupation'
has become an ethical mission worthy of pride and
support, which suggests that we, as people of Third
World countries, will have to glorify freedom Bush-
style. In reality, we, as Arabs, are experiencing a
foreign military, political and cultural invasion. We
must combat it by glorifying the resistance. We must
bravely stand up to the campaign of terror and
misleading that wants to crush our minds and our
spirits as human beings."

HALE