Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04AMMAN664
2004-01-27 12:57:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Amman
Cable title:
MEDIA REACTION ON VP CHENEY'S REMARKS IN
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. 271257Z Jan 04
UNCLAS AMMAN 000664
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 VP CHENEY'S REMARKS IN
DAVOS/U.S. POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Summary
-- A lead story in all papers today, January 27,
highlights King Abdullah's meeting with the Archbishop
of Canterbury, during which the King stressed the
importance of maintaining Arab rights and said that
the Christian Arab presence in Jerusalem was
threatened by migration due to the Israeli occupation
. Other major stories highlight the Jordanian Prime
Minister's expected visit to Damascus after Eid Al-
Adha holiday next week. Major reports continue to
highlight developments in Iraq.
Editorial Commentary
-- "The meaning of Cheney's speech"
Daily columnist Fahd Fanek writes on the back-page of
semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai
(01/27): "Cheney did not criticize Sharon's action,
nor did he ask for putting a stop to the building of
the racist wall, nor did he call for the
implementation of the roadmap. All these aspects may
disturb Israel. But he did ask for changing the
Palestinian leadership, for ending the Authority's
corruption, for proliferating democracy and
transparency and for eliminating terrorism. After all
this, there are still some who believe that America
holds 99% of the capability to achieve solution or
that it intends to equally pressure both the
Palestinian and the Israeli parties to achieve a
settlement that would fulfill international
resolutions and legitimacy, as well as human rights,
principles and values that America is calling for.
America is not an honest broker and can never be so.
America is Israel's strategic ally, even if that
obstructs its alleged war against terrorism and
defames its image in the Arab world and badly affects
its vital interests in the region. The American-
Israeli relationship is not a passing political one.
It is a permanent strategic relationship, and America
will stand by Israel, protect it inside its borders
and the territories it occupies, and will continue to
guarantee Israel's military superiority over all the
Arab countries. America will continue to be
completely biased in favor of Israel, so long as this
bias is not costing America anything. The Arab
regimes are racing to gain America's blessings in
order to stay in power, and so America will never
reconsider its biased policies in favor of Israeli
aggressions until this bias becomes very costly. The
Arab regimes cannot force America to pay the cost for
its bias because they lack legitimacy."
HALE
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 VP CHENEY'S REMARKS IN
DAVOS/U.S. POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Summary
-- A lead story in all papers today, January 27,
highlights King Abdullah's meeting with the Archbishop
of Canterbury, during which the King stressed the
importance of maintaining Arab rights and said that
the Christian Arab presence in Jerusalem was
threatened by migration due to the Israeli occupation
. Other major stories highlight the Jordanian Prime
Minister's expected visit to Damascus after Eid Al-
Adha holiday next week. Major reports continue to
highlight developments in Iraq.
Editorial Commentary
-- "The meaning of Cheney's speech"
Daily columnist Fahd Fanek writes on the back-page of
semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai
(01/27): "Cheney did not criticize Sharon's action,
nor did he ask for putting a stop to the building of
the racist wall, nor did he call for the
implementation of the roadmap. All these aspects may
disturb Israel. But he did ask for changing the
Palestinian leadership, for ending the Authority's
corruption, for proliferating democracy and
transparency and for eliminating terrorism. After all
this, there are still some who believe that America
holds 99% of the capability to achieve solution or
that it intends to equally pressure both the
Palestinian and the Israeli parties to achieve a
settlement that would fulfill international
resolutions and legitimacy, as well as human rights,
principles and values that America is calling for.
America is not an honest broker and can never be so.
America is Israel's strategic ally, even if that
obstructs its alleged war against terrorism and
defames its image in the Arab world and badly affects
its vital interests in the region. The American-
Israeli relationship is not a passing political one.
It is a permanent strategic relationship, and America
will stand by Israel, protect it inside its borders
and the territories it occupies, and will continue to
guarantee Israel's military superiority over all the
Arab countries. America will continue to be
completely biased in favor of Israel, so long as this
bias is not costing America anything. The Arab
regimes are racing to gain America's blessings in
order to stay in power, and so America will never
reconsider its biased policies in favor of Israeli
aggressions until this bias becomes very costly. The
Arab regimes cannot force America to pay the cost for
its bias because they lack legitimacy."
HALE