MEDIA REACTION: THE NEED TO DEFINE TERRORISM

UNCLAS MUSCAT 001413 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD, NEA/P, AND INR/R/MR LONDON FOR TSOU PARIS FOR ZEYA USCENTCOM FOR PLUSH FOREIGN PRESS CENTER FOR SILAS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO KMDR OIIP MU SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: THE NEED TO DEFINE TERRORISM -------------- ONE MAN'S TERRORIST -------------- ¶1. On September 18, privately owned Arabic daily "al-Watan" featured an editorial entitled "Oman's Call To Define Terrorism": "Demanding a clear definition of terrorism, and differentiating between terrorism and legal resistance, was the main demand made by the Sultanate in its speech at the UN summit. The Omani position originates from its commitment to issues that are of utmost importance in the Arab world. Oman also demanded the reordering of priorities to focus on solving the issue of terrorism by dealing with its roots. What the Sultanate called for is logical because the UN Security Council cannot continue issuing resolutions and taking actions in order to fight terrorism without defining what terrorism is..." -------------- ISRAELI HYPOCRISY -------------- ¶2. On September 19, "al-Watan" published an editorial entitled "The Israeli Position Provokes Palestinian Worries": "It seems that the Israelis are continuing to interfere in Palestinian internal affairs, exposing their future plans regarding peace and a final settlement with the Palestinians. Arabs have repeatedly expressed their concerns about the seriousness of the Israeli side in putting an end to the Palestinian tragedy. Instead of ending the misery, Israel seeks to increase it by killing more Palestinians and spreading anarchy, 'proving' to the world that the Palestinians are not capable of administering their own state." -------------- DUPLICITY BREEDS TERROR -------------- ¶3. Also on September 19, Omani writer Abdullah al-Ulayan wrote an editorial in the government-owned Arabic daily "Oman" under the headline "New York Summit and International Terrorism": "Politicians and leaders competed with each other in expressing their worries, demands, and interests in their speeches at the United Nations 60th anniversary. The United States demanded the whole world support it in its fight against terrorism; another country talked about political disturbance and terrorism; and others about the importance of solving the economic problems that cause terrorism. However, America did not discuss the issue of hatred that it faces in many countries around the world. Also, it did not distinguish between legal resistance and terrorism. Why don't these politicians and leaders provide a clear definition of terrorism? The duplicity in dealing with such issues only increases terrorism, and Al-Qaida is proving this by finding another environment for its operations: Iraq, a place they'd never dreamed of before." BALTIMORE