MEDIA REACTION: STATE OF THE UNION

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000272 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA; INR/B; IIP/G/NEA-SA WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE SECDEF FOR OASD/PA USCINCCENT FOR POLAD LONDON FOR GOLDRICH; PARIS FOR O'FRIEL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: STATE OF THE UNION ¶1. SUMMARY: LOCAL AND REGIONAL MEDIA COVERED PRESIDENT BUSH'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS EXTENSIVELY AND EXCERPTS FROM THE SPEECH WERE CARRIED IN ALL LOCAL NEWSPAPERS. ABU DHABI TV CARRIED THE SPEECH LIVE WITH SIMULTANEOUS ARABIC TRANSLATION, WHILE DUBAI TV ALSO REPORTED THE SPEECH. EDITORIALS IN THE ARABIC PRESS WERE CRITICAL OF THE SPEECH. AN EDITORIAL IN "AL BAYAN" NOTED THAT THE STATE OF THE UNION FOCUSED ON SATISFYING THE ZIONIST LUBI. ANOTHER EDITORIAL IN "AL KHALEEJ" STATED THAT PRESIDENT BUSH HAS DROPPED THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT FROM HIS SPEECH. END SUMMARY. ¶2. UNDER THE HEADLINE "BUSH'S WARS," SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 1/22: "...THE MOST IMPORTANT POINTS IN BUSH'S SPEECH THAT NEED TO BE DISCUSSED ARE THOSE REGARDING IRAQ, THE POWER STRATEGY THAT IS STILL A BASIC POLICY IN HIS DEALINGS THERE, HIS OBSESSION WITH WARS, THAT IS STILL AN ESSENTIAL STRATEGY, AND DROPPING THE ARAB- ISRAELI CONFLICT FROM HIS SPEECH, ESPECIALLY AS REGARDS PALESTINE... THIS MEANS THAT THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE A DIFFICULT ONE FOR THE ARAB REGION, SINCE SHARON'S HANDS WILL BE FREE AND BUSH WILL DO WHAT HE CAN TO ADD POINTS TO HIS ELECTIONS CAMPAIGN, AND THE WHOLE REGION WILL BE HIS MAIN PLAYGROUND, NOT ONLY PALESTINE AND IRAQ." ¶3. NOTING THAT PRESIDENT BUSH'S SPEECH WAS FOCUSED ON SATISFYING THE ZIONIST LUBI, DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED ARABIC DAILY "AL- BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 1/22: "... THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH DID NOT MENTION MIDDLE EAST ISSUES, ESPECIALLY THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE, AND THAT IS IN ORDER TO PREVENT CONFLICT WITH THE ZIONIST LUBI... THE ROAD MAP, WHICH THE PRESIDENT WAS VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT LAST YEAR, DISAPPEARED FROM HIS SPEECH... BUSH'S SPEECH ASSURED US CLEARLY THAT THE ARAB- ISRAELI CONFLICT IS NOT ONE OF THE AMERICAN POLICY PRIORITIES... IS THIS BECAUSE WE ARE NOW LIVING THROUGH THE AMERICAN ELECTION SEASON, OR IS IT THAT THE AMERICAN POLICY WILL NOT GIVE ANY THOUGHT AT ALL TO THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE? IT IS HARD TO ANSWER SUCH A QUESTION EXCEPT AFTER THE ELECTION RESULTS ARE ANNOUNCED NEXT NOVEMBER..." ¶4. CRITICIZING PRESIDENT BUSH'S SPEECH, SALEM WROTE IN "AL- KHALEEJ" ON 1/24: "IN THE STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH THAT PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH ADDRESSED TO THE CONGRESS, HE TALKED ABOUT MANY ISSUES, ESPECIALLY HIS VICTORIES AND HEROISM, BUT HE AVOIDED TALKING ABOUT THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT, ESPECIALLY THE ROAD MAP THAT SEEMS TO HAVE FALLEN OFF HIS AGENDA. THE THING IS THAT BUSH IN THIS YEAR OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS HAS WASHED HIS HANDS OF THE ROAD MAP AND LEFT IT TO BE DEALT WITH ENTIRELY BY SHARON." WAHBA