MEDIA PLAY - IRAQ - 4/11/03

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000650 SIPDIS DEPT FOR INR/R/MR, I/RW, I/REC; PA SA/INS (FOR JWALLER) DEPT ALSO FOR SA/PD (FOR LJIRWIN, LSCENSNY, WREINCKENS); SSA/PAB E.O. 12358: N/A TAGS: KPAO OPRC KMDR OIIP CE SUBJECT: MEDIA PLAY - IRAQ - 4/11/03 ¶1. In Sri Lanka the 4/11 front pages anticipate -- and celebrate -- a conclusion to the conflict in Iraq. They also ponder post-war scenarios. "America to hoist flag of victory very soon" says a Sinhala daily. "Pentagon studying whether to announce end of war" and "100 Iraqi tanks in American custody" says a Tamil front page. Another Tamil daily says "Mystery continues about Saddam's existence," while a third reports that "U.S. targets Syria for helping the Saddam family escape from Iraq." In other reports regarding post-war scenarios an English daily says "Bush vows Iraqi people will regain control of Iraq" and a Tamil front page says "Saddam's reign in Iraq ends -- Efforts to establish Interim Administration." ¶2. Of the many front-page pix that accompanied these headlines pride of place is given to the destruction of Saddam statues. "Slipper treatment to Saddam statue" reads a typical Sinhala caption, while an English caption says "U.S. Marine covers the face of a stature of ... Saddam ... with a U.S. flag." ¶3. Editorial comment continues to be scarce: only one daily, the ISLAND (opposition English daily) comments. Under the headline "Post war challenges," the ISLAND wonders whether American post war policies will "win back the support and confidence of the rest of the world, particularly the Third World on which they would have to count ... in combating international terrorism...." Excerpts follow: "America may have grand designs for setting up a pro- western democratic regime in Iraq but this is an extremely difficult task. Ruthless dictatorships of Saddam Hussein and those before him held the fractious Sunni, Shiite Muslims and the rebellious Kurds under one regime. Whether an emergent democratic regime could hold the country together as the dictators did is much in doubt. "Even more important is American intentions. Their continued presence in Iraq will be opposed not only by Iraqis but the entire Arab world. The American-British triumph will be viewed by all Arabs as a defeat for Arabs and Islamic nations. The Arab resentment could, as Hosni Mubarak said at the commencement of this war: Produce a thousand bin Ladens. "Americans, however, are unlikely to bow out like good knights after having slain the dragon. Already there is saber rattling in the Pentagon where the hawks are saying that what happened in Iraq is a good lesson for `rogue nations' like Syria, Iran and North Korea.... If the United States does target Syria and Iran ... the repercussions are unforeseeable. "If the Americans want to win back the support and confidence of the rest of the world, particularly the Third World on which they would have to count on in combating international terrorism, much would depend on their post war policies on Iraq." WILLS