MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ/SYRIA AND ISRAEL/PALESTINE

UNCLAS MUSCAT 001634

SIPDIS

DEPT 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: IRAQ/SYRIA AND ISRAEL/PALESTINE

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History Repeats
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1. The government-owned Arabic daily "Oman" ran an editorial on
October 31 entitled "Will The Iraq Scenario Be Repeated?":

"Perhaps the fears of Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister are
justified regarding a UN Security Council resolution authorizing
the use of force against Damascus, particularly in the wake of
the Mehlis Report. But the international community has a moral
and legal responsibility to prevent another mistake like the
search for WMD in Iraq. The Syrian government demonstrated its
readiness to cooperate and hold accountable those who might be
responsible for Hariri's death. Wisdom dictates that superpowers
like the U.S. should deal with these matters diplomatically and
give the investigating committee more time. Washington
recognizes the dangers of preemptive war, and perhaps the lesson
of Iraq will be enough."

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United We Stand
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2. The privately owned Arabic daily "al-Watan" published an
editorial on October 30 entitled "Are The Arabs Still Unified?":

"Tensions in the region are increasing day after day, and more
challenges and risks are presenting themselves. The most urgent
problem is the U.S. administration's focus on Damascus, given
Syria's alleged involvement in the Hariri assassination and their
alleged support of terrorists in Iraq. Arab solutions are needed
for these problems, but the Arabs have become tired of appealing
to their leaders every day without any result. Yet, it is not
too late to call for a unified Arab response, or to ask the most
influential Arab countries to show their support for Syria."

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Riding The Escalators
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3. "Al-Watan" also featured an editorial on October 29 under the
headline "Serious Escalation In Palestine":

"Recently, Israel conducted air and land raids on the Gaza Strip,
designed to inflict the heaviest possible losses on the
Palestinians. Although Israel has been told many times over the
past years that such practices would not result in stopping the
Palestinian struggle, it seems that Tel Aviv intends to push
forward with disavowing its commitments to the peace process.
Thus, Israel bears full responsibility for this continuous and
dangerous escalation of the situation in the Gaza Strip. It is
very important for the international community to move quickly in
order to put an end to these criminal Israeli practices."

BALTIMORE