MEDIA REACTION ON SPAIN'S BOMBINGS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001991

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR,
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN
USAID/ANE/MEA
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: KMDR JO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON SPAIN'S BOMBINGS

Summary

-- Lead story in all papers today, March 16, is the
result of the Spanish elections and the victory of
Zapatero. All reports focus on Zapatero's position on
the situation in Iraq and his remarks that he will
withdraw troops from Iraq. One headline views the
elections as a "political coup" and another views the
new Prime Minister as "turning his back to the United
States".

Editorial Commentary

-- "The fall of Aznar"

Chief editor Taher Udwan writes on the back page of
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm
(03/16): "The results of the elections in Spain truly
constitutes a coup d'etat, as one commentator said.
One of the personalities of the war on Iraq is now out
of the game, which only leaves Blair and Bush, who may
face the same fate, especially the U.S. president
since he faces the presidential elections next fall..
Election competitions in countries like the United
States, Britain, Spain and Italy are no longer
sideline issues for the people of the region. They
are domestic-related issues, because any change
towards weakening the war camp is a win for the
security and stability of the Middle East.. The Bush-
Aznar-Blair camp used lies not only with regard to
Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, but also with
regard to the rebuilding of Iraq as a justification
for continuing the occupation of that country.. This
camp came to the region not to strengthen stability
there, but to `alter' this stability and change it
into chaos, conflicts and wars. This camp does not
have a program for peace, neither in Palestine nor in
Iraq and the Gulf, but rather seeks, with all its
military, political and economic might, to change the
Middle East into a new arena for hot and cold wars..
We hope that the `change' will first affect the ranks
of this camp and that we would see more defeats for
those extremists, who excel in telling lies as much as
they excel in launching wards. Such a change would be
happy event(s) for a Middle East that looks to genuine
peace and security."

-- "This disaster too?"

Daily columnist Jamil Nimri writes on the back page of
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm
(03/16): "That's all we need: for this terrifying
criminal act [Spain's bombings] to be linked with the
world of Arabs and Islam, to inflict horrible harm and
pain to a wonderful country and noble people, millions
of whom took to the streets to protest the war on
Iraq.. We could have done without this disaster with
the European nation, a longed-for factor of balance
against the American completely-pro Israeli monopoly."

-- "Spain and Iraq"

Columnist Basem Sakijha writes on the op-ed page of
center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour
(03/16): "The socialists' achievement of the ruling
power in Spain seems to be more of a coup than natural
development. Analysts differ about the significance
of the Madrid bombings in attaining this result, but
everyone agrees that the Iraqi factor was the one
factor that pushed the Spanish people to vote against
Aznar's party.. The results of the Spanish elections
say a great deal, most importantly is that the human
conscience cannot remain in permanent slumber. We
hope that the same will apply to the American
elections."

-- "The Spanish coup: does terrorism achieve political
results?"

Columnist Bater Wardam writes on the op-ed page of
center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour
(03/16): "Although many opponents of Aznar's
government, including us Arabs and Muslims who were
displeased with that government's support for the
American aggressive war, are going to be happy with
the results of the elections, the consequence is going
to be disastrous for Arabs and Muslims in Europe. It
is almost certain now that responsibility for the ugly
crime in Madrid points to Al-Qa'eda and non-specific
fundamentalist-extremist organizations.. The outcome
of proving the responsibility of Islamic
fundamentalists for the crime is going to mean
complete and radical changes for the lives of millions
of Arabs and Muslims living in Europe and is going to
add another defamation for the reputation of Islam.
The most dangerous consequence of such proof would be
the link between the crime, the role of the Spanish
government in Iraq, and the results of the elections.
This entails a very serious political message:
terrorism can actually achieve beneficial political
objectives.. The crime is a crime and cannot be
justified by political results. It is silly and
immoral for some to claim that the Madrid crime may
have been beneficial because it contributed to ousting
Aznar and changing the Spanish government. Killing
200 innocent people can never be an acceptable means
for achieving political objectives. If some Arabs
believe that killing innocent people is justifiable as
vengeance against politicians and governments who have
adopted policies unacceptable to Arabs, then that is a
horrible moral downfall."
GNEHM