SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: CRISIS IN LEBANON

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 003055

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA; INR/B;
RRU-NEA
IIP/G/NEA-SA
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD
LONDON FOR MCKUNE
PITRANSGRESS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC
SUBJECT: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: CRISIS IN LEBANON


1. Summary: A columnist in "Al-Ittihad" described the war against
Lebanon as international hooliganism, stressing that peace can not
be achieved through violence. "Al-Khaleej" carried an editorial
describing the plans for democracy which Rice presented to Lebanon
as a "poisoned stew" whose aim is to further more strife and
massacres. "Al-Bayan" concludes that the Rome summit today will not
do the Lebanese any good. End Summary.


2. Kuwaiti columnist, Dr. Ali Al-Tarrah, wrote in his weekly op-ed
headlined "War against Lebanon is nothing but international
"hooliganism" " in Abu Dhabi-based semi-official Arabic daily
"Al-Ittihad" (circulation 65,000) 07/24:
"The U.S. policy is based on violence. It sees the current war as
part of its war on terror. It also sees force as the only solution
to defeat the culture of terror. This policy will bring pain to
those who prefer a reasonable and moderate approach. Today, the
number of Hezbollah supporters is increasing, so is hatred against
the U.S. The people of the Arab states who support U.S. policy, are
changing their minds. Saudi Arabia, which described the war as an
adventure lead by Hezbollah, could only refuse the U.S. conditions
to a cease-fire because they were based on the rule of force and
violence... We want our states which are connected to the U.S. to
understand that there should be common interests and that no country
should pursue its interests without any consideration to the others.
Our connection with the U.S. is imbalanced and is not based on
common interests. This connection will cause more loss on our side.
The U.S. policy will double terrorism and will bring about more
destruction in the Arab region. The idea of being moderate will not
materialize in any country, as long as the U.S. ignores the
interests of the people of the region. There will be no light at
the end of the tunnel as long as we ignore the fact that peace
cannot be achieved with the logic of international bullies."


3. Under headline "Rice and her poisoned stew", Sharjah-based
pan-Arab daily "Al-Khaleej" (circulation 90,000) wrote 07/26
editorial:

"U.S. President George Bush says that he supports democracy in
Lebanon. Is there anything left in Lebanon to adopt the "U.S.
style" democracy? Should all the countries, who Bush wants to adopt
democracy, be doomed to massacres, the destruction of their
infrastructures and a shift backwards such as in Iraq and what is
happening in Lebanon? Bush's democracy and Rice's Middle East are
the aircraft, gun, and warship which are used by Zionist war
criminals to liquidate all the Lebanese people. These are the same
weapons that threaten all Arabs whose countries are unilaterally
targeted in order for Israel to achieve its expanding greed under
the custody and protection of the U.S."



4. Under headline "Shall peace emerge from Rome?", Dubai-based
Arabic daily "Al-Bayan," (circulation 85,000) wrote a 07/26
editorial:

"If the Rome Summit adopts the bilateral U.S.-Israeli position, then
the Lebanese people will reap nothing but sweet words that do not
fatten or alleviate hunger. Without forcing Israel to first cease
its aggression, withdraw from Shebaa farms and release Lebanese
prisoners from its jails, the Rome Summit will be futile, unless its
purpose was to pass the imposition of the so-called "New Middle
East" through the use of Israeli war machinery. If the Rome summit
went according to the whims of Israel and followed the path of 17
May 1983, its results will ultimately resemble the results which
follow the agreement of the May 17, which ended up being cancelled
by the Lebanese people, because it was against their interests."



SISON