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