MEDIA REACTION ON MIDDLE EAST AND IRAQ

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005935 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 MIDDLE EAST AND IRAQ Summary -- Papers published today, July 15, focus on developments in the Palestinian Territories and in Iraq. Major stories highlight the Palestinian National Authority's "angry" reaction to the U.N. special envoy Larsen, who blamed the Palestinian leadership - and Yasir Arafat, personally -- for the "chaotic" situation in the Territories. All papers feature report on the (UK) Butler report about the use of intelligence in the war in Iraq. Editorial Commentary on Middle East -- "Work and courage, not blame" Centrist, influential among the elite English daily Jordan Times (07/15) editorializes: "U.N. Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen has presented the Security Council with a damning report about conditions in the Palestinian territories.. In his report, Roed-Larsen described conditions in the Palestinian territories as chaotic and on the brink of disaster. Worse, the envoy seemed to put the blame squarely on the Palestinian leadership when he accused Arafat of lacking the political will to realize any meaningful political reforms.. To put it mildly, these charges are serious. They attribute the terrible turn of events in the Palestinian lands primarily to the PNA. While conceding that the PNA is responsible in part for the slow pace of economic and political reforms in the Palestinian territories, it is simply unrealistic, if not irresponsible, to place all the blame for the rapid deterioration in the living conditions in the territories on the Palestinian side. The Israeli side, especially under the rule of the Likud Party and its leader, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, has contributed as much, if not more, to the "chaotic" situation in the Palestinian territories. Although the Palestinians can do little about the Israeli faults, the certainly can do a great deal about their own shortcomings. There is a lot that the PNA can do to improve the political, economic and security conditions even under present conditions.. While Roed- Larsen's statement to the Security Council was met with condemnation from the Palestinians and applause from the Israelis, it would seem that his message, at least for the moment, was lost on both. If the two sides are ever to realize peace between them, there is a lot of work to be done and lot of courage to be mustered." Editorial Commentary on Iraq -- "How did they make the quagmire? Daily columnist Jamil Nimri writes on the back-page of independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm (07/15): "The Butler report did not accuse Blair of ill intentions or misleading the British people, but it clearly and completely showed that the war was based on false foundations. There was not any serious information indicating that Iraq owned or developed weapons of mass destruction.. The British report complements the American report in putting an end to the argument about justification for war. The war was launched on the basis of lies, deceit and misinformation, and there is no other incident in the history of those two countries (the US and UK) that has so debased their democracies as this one did. A rabid, fabricated campaign was created from A to Z to unjustifiably launch a war. Who holds Bush and Blair accountable for the costs of this war, both material and human? It won't be the United Nations or any other international organization ruled by the same powers that allow Israel to brutalize an unarmed people and to prolong occupation for decades without any denunciation. Only the British and American peoples can punish these leaders in the next elections. Now we can understand why matters in Iraq took this disastrous turn. An action of such immorality cannot yield moral results in war, either during its course or in the post-war era.. A false start for a false path. A noble and moral action, such as claiming to save the Iraqi people from dictatorship, cannot be achieved by way of lies, deception and misinformation." HALE