MEDIA REACTION ON SYRIA

UNCLAS AMMAN 007372

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 SYRIA

Summary

-- Lead stories in all papers today, September 14,
carry reports on the oil price hikes in the world
market and its effects on Jordan. Another lead story
focuses on King Abdullah's activities and remarks on
the sidelines of his participation in the World Summit
in New York. All papers highlight President Bush's
"warning" to Syria that it will be increasingly
isolated if it fails to control its borders with Iraq.

Editorial Commentary

-- "Damascus and the tightening cordons of isolation
and siege"

Daily columnist Urayb Rintawi writes on the op-ed page
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour
(09/14): "The noose around the Syrian leadership's
neck is tightening.. On one hand, Meles has taken his
first steps towards the making of another `Lockerbie
scenario' in Syria, since information indicates that
he suspects the involvement of four Syrian generals in
the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister
Hariri. On the other hand, Iraqi-American statements
that condemn Syria and threaten its regime are on the
rise . and Damascus seems to be the preoccupation of
Washington and its Iraqi allies. A third issue is the
ongoing stories from the Syrian opposition about the
deteriorating status of the regime, from talk of
arrests that include high level army and security
officers to rumors of an imminent military coup.. The
point is that Syria's situation is very intricate and
complicated.. Before Hariri's assassination, we used
to say that the major dangers that face Syria come
from the inside, and that the regime needs to start
making concessions for the benefit of its own people,
as opposed to foreigners. Today, however, and after
the assassination and the repercussions of the Iraqi
situation, the volume of concessions that the regime
is required to make have become heavier than Syria's
structure can withstand. Meles' idea is snowballing
and Washington, being wounded from Baghdad and New
Orleans, may be more ferocious in the days to come."

-- "Enough of the destructive lies"

Chief Editor Taher Udwan writes on the back-page of
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al Arab Al Yawm
(09/14): "The U.S. administration's lie-producing
factories insist on producing and marketing their lies
in the Middle East in a sickly manner that only serves
to expand the circle of terrorism, murder, and wars.
This is an expression of this administration's
bankruptcy and the policies lacking in morality out of
Afghanistan, through Iraq and to New Orleans. The
most recent lies are those threats made by the U.S.
Ambassador to Iraq against Syria, during which he
hinted at the military option. This indicates that
the Bush administration may resort to expanding the
circle of war from Talafr to Syria amidst pressures
from the Iraqi resistance and from the feeling of
helplessness in achieving a clear victory at a time
when criticism escalates against Bush following
Hurricane Katrina and calls for withdrawing the U.S.
troops from Iraq. It is easy to blame others. This
is the policy of the Bush administration.. We had
hoped that the U.S. Ambassador would learn from Colin
Powell's regret after having fallen victim to
deception over the invasion of Iraq, and to think of
how to rid the United States of its role as an
occupying and destructive force in Iraq and of how to
turn this role into a force that corrects mistakes,
wipes away the effects of the destructive lies and
restores peace and stability to the bereft country.
But it seems that the U.S. Ambassador is keen on
managing wars from Afghanistan to Iraq and now he is
looking for another war with Syria.
HALE