MEDIA REACTION ON SECRETARY RICE'S VISIT TO JORDAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 004961

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SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON SECRETARY RICE'S VISIT TO
JORDAN


Summary

-- The visit of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to
Jordan and the region received extensive coverage in
the Jordanian media. All papers published today, June
21, highlight excerpts from her speech at the American
University in Cairo. A number of editorial
commentaries view her "positive" remarks on Jordan's
reform efforts.

Editorial Commentary

-- "The important visit of Mrs. Rice"

Daily columnist Tarek Masarweh writes on the back page
of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai
(06/21): "Mrs. Condoleezza Rice found in Jordan only
the reassuring feeling of being among friends. She
found that she had no demands to make of Jordan, that
she was offering a strategic alliance with Jordan,
that she would not allow Jordan's security to be
jeopardized in this region, and that her country is
increasing its assistance to its strategic ally. The
politicians would say that the American talk has to do
with American policies in the region. This is true,
but what could our country give to a country whose
policy is to raid this region with its armies and to
which everyone hurries to please? Even if we argue
that the United States needs Jordan, then there is no
shame in that, because it means that we have something
that America needs. One who has a source of power
should never apologize for it.. Mrs. Rice's visit to
Jordan was very comfortable for her. People heard her
utter clear criticism of Israel's settlement policies,
offer us a strategic alliance, and say that Jordan's
reform is exemplary."

-- "The `black American tulip'"

Daily columnist Saleh Qallab writes on the back page
of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai
(06/21): "When the U.S. Secretary of State praises
Jordan's reform and considers it a model to be
followed in the region, and when she says that her
country refuses to have the interests of Jordan be
jeopardized, she is not being courteous at all. She
is relaying the U.S. administration's point of view.
There are those marginal groups of people who thought
that Jordan is facing a crisis with Washington, and
thus have doubled their instigation efforts by
providing the American press with fabricated and fake
reports with the aim of encouraging American pressure
against this country to force it to give up its
principles. All campaigns launched by the American
tabloids against Jordan are based on reports submitted
by these marginal groups and parasitic persons who
think that they can achieve their sickly dreams by
inviting American pressures against Jordan and making
it like some other Arab countries in the region. What
is disgusting about this is the fact that some of the
names that appeared in the articles of these American
tabloids are ones who market themselves as being the
knights of the confrontation with the United States,
the proponents of anti-normalization with America and
the pioneers of boycotting America in everything..
These sources thought that the American `black tulip'
is coming to unleash poisonous snakes against Jordan.
These people should melt away in shame now that they
have heard what Condoleezza Rice had to say."

-- "Inspector Condoleezza"

Daily columnist Sultan Hattab writes on the op-ed page
of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai
(06/21): "When Rice links the American desired reform
with the American efforts in Iraq towards a free Iraq
and with the American efforts in Palestine towards a
two-state solution, then Rice's words about reform
would require tangible credibility, because the reform
of this region cannot happen unless there is a just
solution for the Palestinian-Israeli struggle. In
Palestine, Rice spoke about the roadmap. Sharon,
however, is on a different sheet of music as he talks
about a different way of redeployment from Gaza, about
a different viewpoint of settlements, and as he
hinders all components for a possible and practical
solution.. In Egypt, Rice discussed the Egyptian
elections and spoke in detail about electioneering,
maps, candidates and methods, as if she were setting
an Egyptian elections law.. In Jordan, her evaluation
for Jordan's achievements was very positive.. Rice's
`certifications' are the important thing now. Those
she cited have won, and those she did not cite are
waiting to pay a huge cost. The regimes in the region
are no longer able to run to the people, since the
cost they must now pay is the very consequence of the
way they have dealt with their people.. Rice knows
Arab courteousness. What she said in [Arab] capitals
she visited was not marked by the same bluntness that
she used in Moscow and China as she sought to speak to
the people of these two countries through their
regimes. In the Arab capitals, she wanted to make her
hosts listen, because she knows that the Arab people's
stand is marked by hatred for the American policy;
hatred caused by that policy's bias in favor of Israel
and a policy that drove the people of this region away
from their regimes. So she opted to ease her
criticism of the Arab internal policies . because when
she goes back home, she will use American media to
cast stones at the Arab regimes' glass. Rice's words
against the Arab regimes seems to be the harshest
because she is finding that the dough of Arab regimes
is beginning to form under American pressure, even if
Iraq does not become free and Palestine does not
become a viable state!"

-- "Impetus needed"

Centrist, influential among the elite English daily
Jordan Times (06/21) editorializes: U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice's visit to the region should
provide impetus to the stalled peace process in the
Middle East. All signs indicate that the peace drive
is not only stalled but threatened to cease entirely
unless the projected talks between Israel Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas bear fruit. Sharon still insists that
Abbas disarm all the Palestinian militant factions
operating on Palestinian soil and destroy their
infrastructure. Abbas is on record as unwilling or
unable to do that for fear that such a move against
Palestinian militants would provoke a bloody civil
war.. Hamas and other Palestinian hardliners declared
their unwillingness to lay down arms until they see
real progress on the ground. It is a vicious circle
that no side is willing break.. The search for a just
and durable peace in the Middle East needs a powerful
thrust and that, it is no secret, can only come from
Washington. It may, therefore, require more than a
visit or two by the secretary of state to the region,
and genuine desire and effort to help find a solution,
before peace finally comes in our midst."
HALE