Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05MUSCAT560
2005-04-06 06:53:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Muscat
Cable title:  

MEDIA REACTION: AMERICAN ATTEMPTS TO DIVIDE ARABS, LOSS

Tags:  KPAO KMDR OIIP MU 
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UNCLAS MUSCAT 000560 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI (TROBERTS),NEA/PPD (CWHITTLESEY),NEA/P
(FFINVER),INR/R/MR
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH
PARIS FOR ZEYA
USCENTCOM FOR PLUSH
FOREIGN PRESS CENTER/ASILAS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO KMDR OIIP MU
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: AMERICAN ATTEMPTS TO DIVIDE ARABS, LOSS
OF U.S. CREDIBILITY


-----------------
The Wounds Of War
-----------------

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000560

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI (TROBERTS),NEA/PPD (CWHITTLESEY),NEA/P
(FFINVER),INR/R/MR
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH
PARIS FOR ZEYA
USCENTCOM FOR PLUSH
FOREIGN PRESS CENTER/ASILAS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO KMDR OIIP MU
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: AMERICAN ATTEMPTS TO DIVIDE ARABS, LOSS
OF U.S. CREDIBILITY


--------------
The Wounds Of War
--------------


1. On April 2, the government-owned Arabic daily "Oman" carried
an editorial entitled "The Third Sorrow":

"We have healed from our first wound which was Iraq, we are still
smarting from the situation in Darfur, but now it seems a third
wound is being inflicted on us Arabs as a collective. This most
recent wound is the UN Security Council resolution to convict any
person found to be a war criminal in the International Court of
Justice, including those who participated in the war in Darfur.
However the resolution does not take into account long-standing
issues and cultural rifts in Sudan. There is much concern that
this resolution will do more harm than good. The Security
Council failed to realize that this resolution creates an
opportunity for individuals to seek personal retribution simply
by claiming that a person is a war criminal. This resolution has
already begun to divide Sudan, further igniting the flames of
hatred that exist there, by offering an opportunity for revenge."

--------------
Resolving Our Own Problems
--------------


2. The privately-owned Arabic daily "al-Watan" published an
editorial on April 4 entitled "Events in our Region":

"Sudan has recently become the source of great discussion in the
international arena, replacing Syria who had been at the top of
the list for approximately two months. Prior to Syria, Iraq,
Saudi Arabia, and Libya topped the list. The reason for Sudan's
top position on the list is that people in our region are more
aware of what is happening around them, and are calling on the
international community to act. We know that Washington is a
superpower that wants to force its plans on the region. We also
know that Washington wants to divide the Arab world politically.
To avoid Washington's intervention, we should address the issues
that effect our region proactively."

--------------
No WMD's Lead to Lost Credibility
--------------


3. On April 4, the government-owned Arabic daily "Oman" carried
an editorial entitled "When You Lose Credibility":

"A few days ago the Americans confessed to having put forth
misleading CIA reports that stated that Iraq possessed weapons of
mass destruction. The Americans, including President George
Bush, insisted that they were going to find the weapons sooner or
later and tried earnestly to assure the rest of the world the
weapons existed. However, this confession proves again the lack
of credibility of the U.S. in regard to the war in Iraq. The
misleading information that is being referred to is the
information that former Secretary of State Colin Powell provided
in his famous appearance at the UN Security Council days before
the war started. Millions of people watched this broadcast along
with images of the locations where the U.S. claimed that weapons
of mass destruction were located. It is not surprising that
everything the U.S. said was wrong."

BALTIMORE