MEDIA REACTION: HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000955 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 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR AE KPAO TC SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT ¶1. SUMMARY: AN EDITORIAL IN "AL-KHALEEJ" STRONGLY CRITICIZED THE LATEST STATE DEPARTMENT'S ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT AND ACCUSES THE U.S. USING A DOUBLE-STANDARD WHEN IT COMES TO HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS. TWO UAE COLUMNISTS IN DUBAI-BASED ARABIC DAILY "EMIRATES TODAY" WERE SKEPTICAL OF THE US DEPT OF STATES HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT. A COLUMNIST IN ARABIC DAILY "AL-BAYAN" CITES PROGRESS MADE BY THE UAE IN COMBATING CORRUPTION. END SUMMARY. ¶2. Under the headline "They preach the world and forget themselves" an unsigned article in Sharjah-based Pan-Arab daily "Al Khaleej," (circulation 85,000) 3/10 wrote: "The United States never ceases its practice of preaching to countries and judging their practices... The best evidence of this double-standard policy is the contents of the latest annual Human Rights Report issued by the State Department governing the human rights in the world. It blames certain countries that are not inline with U.S. policies for interfering in the domestic affairs of their neighbors, yet it ignores the fact the U.S. is occupying a whole nation despite the will of the world community... This report condemns Syria for backing the Palestinian resistance, yet it does not mention on the outset, not even once, Israel's heinous crimes. The Zionist political assassinations do not represent any violation of the human rights, and the torture of Palestinian prisoners does not violate international law, as long as it was legitimized by Israeli courts. Shelling Palestinian residential areas is only marginal as was the case of killing tens of thousands of Iraqis. In the eyes of the report, resistance is a rejection of peace while the usurpation of others land and their rights is full adherence to the law. The report included Iraq as one of the countries that relatively achieved substantial progress into its way towards democracy, as democracy is merely measured through elections even if they happened under the occupation with chaos, disorder and a division that is almost leading to a civil war. However, if these elections took place in Palestine and are won by Hamas, then punishing all Palestinians and terrorizing them is the only answer... The first-level nation in the world should be a pioneer and not a violator of human rights. Military might does not help any nations once it looses its ethical and moral power." ¶3. Under the headline "Human rights from an eye's corner", UAE columnist, Adel Mohamed Al-Rashed, wrote in Dubai-hased Pan-Arab daily "Emirates Today," (circulation 25,000) 3/13: "The US Dept of State's report mainly touched the issues of Human Rights in countries and societies where they are least important. This report used to have an effect during the days when the United States was managing only its internal prisons, which were aimed more at rehabilitating prisoners than simply detaining them. This report used to be credible when the United States was a venue for preaching on human freedom... But, after Abu Ghreib, Guantanamo and the black secret spots in Europe and many other European countries... after it acquired the characters of those it used to criticize... we don't know whether the Human rights report has any right to push others towards improvements of these rights." ¶4. Under the headline "we want Cohen's Democracy!", a UAE columnist, Sami Al-Reyami wrote in "Dubai-hased Pan-Arab daily "Emirates Today," (circulation 25,000) 3/13: "William Cohen who heads Cohen's group - a Washington-based business consultancy director - appears to be a nice diplomatic person who speaks neutrally and sometimes with some sympathy towards Arabs. He affirms that every country in the world has its special conditions and therefore, has its freedom in deciding the regime that complies with their own norms... Cohen now is an American private citizen. But our problem is that the Untied States does not understand the nature of our Arab and Islamic countries. The best evidence is the Human Rights Report issued by the US State of Department. Whoever reads the special corner touching our issues, will laugh out loud because whatever the Americans consider as a human right violations are simply, in our nation as Arabs and Muslims, a natural right, which we will never let go. For example, why should the United States interfere with the fact that some UAE nationals do not allow their wives and daughters to travel abroad on their own?... We therefore call for the democracy which allows us to live in peace under our political and social regimes which we will stick to, No more, no less." ¶5. Aisha Sultan wrote in her column in Dubai-based Arabic daily "Al-Bayan" (circulation 90,000) 3/13: "According to the State Department Human Rights Report, the UAE is advancing in human rights and efforts are underway by the federal government to counter corruption. The most remarkable effort is the establishment of departments that combat corruption and make corruptors accountable, according to a study that was prepared by the Abu Dhabi police last February. The report listed problems such as bribes, preferences and the abuse of authority in most local departments. However, the departments assigned to combating corruption have a long way to go, before we can confidently say that we are rid of such a dangerous disease that embarrasses us before the entire world." SISON