MEDIA REACTION ON MIDDLE EAST

UNCLAS AMMAN 009502 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 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR JO SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON MIDDLE EAST Summary -- Lead story in all papers today, November 30, highlight King Abdullah's meeting with a high-level Palestinian delegation led by Mahmoud Abbas, during which the King expressed support for the "Roadmap" leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Another lead story focuses on Prince Hamzah's reply letter to the King's letter on Sunday that freed the Prince from the "constraints of the honorary position of Crown Prince". In his reply, the Prince honored the King's command. Editorial Commentary -- "Good performance but." Former Jordanian Minister of Information and columnist Saleh Qallab writes on the back-page of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai (11/30): "It has been nineteen days since the death of Yasser Arafat. So far, one can say that the performance of his successors has been good and quite impressive.. If Abu Mazen wants the Israelis, Americans and European countries to treat him differently from their treatment of Arafat, he must make sure that not a single bomb or gun or even a bullet stays outside the jurisdiction and control of the security forces. The situation would not handle well the Palestinian Authority having two faces: one for a peaceful solution and the other for resistance and force." HALE