MEDIA REACTION: THE NEW IRAQI GOVERNMENT, A NEW ROAD

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000643

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD, NEA/P, AND 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 IZ XF MU
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: THE NEW IRAQI GOVERNMENT, A NEW ROAD
MAP, AND PALESTINIAN PRISONERS OF WAR


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A Tough Job Ahead
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1. On April 15, government-owned Arabic daily "Oman" carried an
editorial entitled, "The Iraqi Government's Huge Task":

"The soon to be announced Iraqi government has a huge mission
before it. It must bring security and stability to Iraq, as well
as revive the Iraqi soul and strengthen the sense of national
unity that has been whittled away over the last two years. The
National Assembly was smart to include all factions of Iraqi
society in the process of electing the President's Council. This
ensured that Iraq's greater interests are protected and help to
facilitate the rebuilding of the country. Perhaps the desire for
a strong and stable Iraq also led Sunnis to accept leadership
positions in the new government even though they chose not to
participate in the recent elections."

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Release Of Palestinian Prisoners
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2. On April 18, the privately-owned Arabic daily "al-Watan"
carried an editorial entitled, "Israel's Treatment of Palestinian
Prisoners of War Shows Bad Intentions":

"After the Sharm al-Sheikh Summit, the Palestinian President
promised his people that he would work to obtain the release of
Palestinian POW's from Israeli prisons. However, to embarrass
him, Sharon only released a few Jordanian prisoners...
International human rights groups should launch a campaign to
inform people about Israel's inhumane treatment of Palestinian
POW's to facilitate their release. The release of a significant
number of prisoners would do much to convince the Palestinians
that it is possible to reach a fair and just solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian question with Israel."

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Israel Calls For A New Road Map
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3. The government-owned Arabic daily "Oman" published an
editorial on April 18 entitled, "Israel's Manipulation of the
Road Map":

"Some days ago in Cairo, the Foreign Minister of Israel called
for the creation of a new road map between Israel and Arab
countries that would lead to the normalization of relations.
This means that Bush's Israeli-Palestinian road map has no value,
especially after Bush supported Israel's demand to retain its
settlements in the West Bank. Israel's retention of the
settlements prolongs the occupation and makes it impossible to
create a viable Palestinian state."

STEWART