Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03HARARE1544
2003-07-31 05:03:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Harare
Cable title:  

MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE

Tags:  PREL KPAO KMDR ZI 
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UNCLAS HARARE 001544 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS
IRAQ PD FOR SMITH, PINESS AND ROOKARD
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR GURNEY
PARIS FOR NEARY
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPAO KMDR ZI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 001544

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS
IRAQ PD FOR SMITH, PINESS AND ROOKARD
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR GURNEY
PARIS FOR NEARY
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPAO KMDR ZI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE


1. Under headline "America's medieval barbarism" the
pro-government weekly "The Sunday Mirror" dedicated
its July 27 editorial to condemning the United
States for making public the pictures of Saddam
Hussein's two sons, Uday and Quasy, who were killed
in a gun battle in Mosul on July 22. Excerpts:


2. ". . .The U. S., which prides itself as a paragon of
civility, virtue and democracy, chose to stoop lower
than its butchered, murderous victims, arrogantly
flaunting its distasteful triumphalism (sic) by
exhibiting vanquished enemies as trophies, in a way
reminiscent of medieval barbarism. It is equally
shocking that the so-called civilized democracies,
Australia and Britain, conveniently shelved their
reverence of international laws and conventions to
join the U. S. in celebrating its pyrrhic victory.
But, while the Bush administration has pointed out
that publishing the photographs did not contravene
the Geneva conventions, the whole world remembers
that in March, when dead U. S. soldiers were shown
by Iraqi television and Arab networks, Washington
condemned the broadcasts. It therefore leaves one
wondering whether international conventions are
meant only for the weak, while the strong are at
liberty to bend them when ever doing so is to their
convenience. . .? The ongoing guerilla-style
attacks on U. S. marines in Iraq is ample evidence
to Washington that the anti-colonial resistance in
that country is not the work of isolated pro-Saddam
`hold-outs,' but a popular expression of the general
anger of Iraqis against U. S. occupation."

SULLIVAN