SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION ON BUSH'S ADDRESS TO THE

UNCLAS SANAA 002258

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/PD, NEA/RA, DS/OP/NEA AND
S/CT
CENTCOM FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR PTER KISL YM
SUBJECT: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION ON BUSH'S ADDRESS TO THE
NATION SEPTEMBER 7, 03.


NEA/PPD FOR DMACINNES, JDAVIES, JGAFFNEY



1. SUMMARY: U.S. President George W. Bush's speech on
September 7 has so far been mentioned only in one government
and one opposition paper. The opposition paper, which is
usually very anti-American, only published excerpts of the
speech with no commentary. Only the government paper
carried commentary. Most newspapers in Yemen have not yet
published since the President's speech last Monday. Instead
of focusing on the President's speech, press reports in
general have rather focused on the 2nd anniversary of
September 11 and its ramifications in the Arab region. END
SUMMARY.


2. "Al-Thawra" (official daily) published excerpts of
President Bush's address to the nation in its publication
last Monday. The paper highlighted President Bush's call on
the UN to play a wider role in Iraq, which has become a
central front in the war on terrorism. On 09/09, "Al-
Thawra" carried an opinion article entitled "The
Babylonians' Curse." The article indicated that Bush's
speech carried a confession that Iraq has turned into a
difficult front for the US to face. The paper added that
"President Bush is facing the curse of the Babylonians at
the economic and military levels".


3. Without commenting on the speech, the typically anti-
American Al-Balagh independent weekly, published excerpts of
the speech highlighting the objectives of the US strategy in
Iraq as stated in the President's speech as to "destroy the
terrorists, enlist the support of other nations for a free
Iraq and help Iraqis assume responsibility for their own
defense and their own Future."


4. The majority of Yemen press articles are focusing on
ramifications of September 11 and continue to argue that the
US anti-terror campaign launched two years ago did not
achieve its objectives but rather increased anti-US
sentiments in the region. The government-owned weekly, al-
Wahda, once argued that "the US is targeting Arabs and Islam
in general . it's creating enemies to serve its colonial
interests worldwide."