MEDIA REACTION: WHO WON THE WAR?

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 003305

SIPDIS

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: MEDIA REACTION: WHO WON THE WAR?


1. Summary: One Emirati columnist in "Al-Ittihad" ridiculed
declarations that the cease-fire marked a Lebanese victory, and
highlighted the heavy losses incurred by Lebanon because of
Hezbollah's intransigence. Another columnist in "Al-Khaleej" warned
the Lebanese against holding Hezbollah accountable for the recent
conflict even after they helped defend Lebanon from Israeli
aggression; instead, he urges them to hold Arab impotence
accountable. Finally, a lead editorial in "Al-Khaleej" emphasized
that the winner of the war was ultimately the Lebanese, and that the
freedom they have achieved is worth any price. End Summary.


2. On 08/15, Emirati columnist Abdullah Rasheed wrote the following
in his daily column in the Abu Dhabi-based semi-official
Arabic-language daily "Al-Ittihad" (circulation 65,000):

"Instead of investigating the catastrophe that has hit our Lebanese
brothers and preparing Arabs to accept the reality of this tragedy,
some Arab voices have seen fit to declare it an overwhelming
military victory for Lebanon over Israel. These Arabs forget that
the million Israelis that have spent the past several weeks in
shelters will tomorrow or the day after return to their homes,
whereas the thousands of Lebanese that have been killed will remain
in their mass graves... Those who describe the tragedy in Lebanon as
a victory over the Zionist military machine ignore the blood gushing
from the Lebanese body, and the painful scars borne by the Lebanese
alone. Victories are not mere slogans, words or foolish statements
issued via satellite TV; instead, they are measured on the basis of
hard figures, comprising the true loss of lives, property, land and
sovereignty."


3. On 08/15, columnist Dr. Hasan Madan wrote the following in an
editorial in the Sharjah-based Arabic-language daily "Al-Khaleej"
(circulation 90,000):

"Even before the cease-fire came into effect, some Lebanese and Arab
voices were demanding that Hezbollah be held accountable for its
actions in abducting the two Israeli prisoners and dragging the
country into an unwanted war. And after the cease-fire, these
voices are getting louder, at a time when the corpses of the victims
are still lying under wreckage and Lebanese blood is still pouring
out, all amidst a strong feeling of patriotic dignity felt by
Lebanese and Arabs across a wide range of ideologies. The Lebanese
fighters showed courage in defending their country... It is a
historical achievement, if not a miracle, that Lebanese freedom was
able to stand so resiliently against Israeli aggression, while so
many other Arab nations remain constrained by their governments from
fighting back or resisting the enemy. At the end of the day,
Hezbollah is one of the groups that so valiantly defended Lebanon...
Many of those that blame Hezbollah for Lebanon's destruction, as if
Hezbollah waged a sectarian or civil war in Lebanon and were not the
victims of U.S.-Israeli aggression, wish to punish Lebanon. Who
should be held accountable to whom? Shouldn't the resilient
Lebanese hold the Arabs accountable for their impotence?"


4. On 08/15 the Sharjah-based Arabic-language daily "Al-Khaleej"
published the following in a lead editorial:

"Some ask who has own the war. I say Lebanon. This country, once
represented by the Phoenix, will fly again. Such a strong country
will not let anyone defeat it or displace its people... There is a
difference between the flood of martyrs' blood and the flow of
poisonous words. The former stays, while the latter passes.
Victory is priceless to those who understand what it means."

QUINN