MEDIA REACTION ON IRAN

UNCLAS AMMAN 006440 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 IRAN Summary -- Lead story in all papers today, August 11, highlights the continued violence in Iraq, this time claiming the lives of six American soldiers. Another lead story reports on the signing of the bilateral extradition treaty between Jordan and the United Kingdom, with speculation that Jordan is going to ask for the extradition of the Islamist Al-Qaeda leader known as Abu Qutadah who is wanted in Jordan and who lives in the United Kingdom. Editorial Commentary -- "Iran's nuclear issue and Israel's nuclear weapons" Daily columnist Mohammad Amayreh writes on the op-ed page of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai (08/11): "The controversial Iranian nuclear issue is worrisome for Washington and its allies, and Washington is trying to avoid any potential threats to itself and its European allies, but mostly to its foremost ally in the region, Israel. Washington's and Tel Aviv's worry about Iran's nuclear activities is unfounded and unjustified because both of them have a large arsenal of nuclear weapons while it has not yet been proven that Iran is capable of producing nuclear weapons or that its nuclear program targets them. Washington and its allies insist on placing the Iranian nuclear installation under IAEA monitoring, but, at the same time, they say nothing about the nuclear bombs that exist Israel or about its very ambitious nuclear program. This in itself reflects a clear bias in favor of Israel and the use of double standards in handling such a very sensitive issue, not to mention the injustice that developing countries feel when they see certain countries owning advanced nuclear weapons while others are being denied this right; and all this is being done in the name of international legitimacy." HALE