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