MEDIA REACTION ON NORTH KOREA AND PALESTINIAN GOVERNANCE

UNCLAS AMMAN 007896 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR, I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN USAID/ANE/MEA LONDON FOR TSOU SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR JO SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON NORTH KOREA AND PALESTINIAN GOVERNANCE Editorial Commentary on Palestinian Governance -- "Consequences of the Korean bomb" Leading columnist Fahed Al-Fanek writes on the back-page of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai (10/16): "Now a number of Third World nations will insist on their right to own nuclear technology claiming at first that they want it for peaceful purposes, i.e. electricity generation, and build the capacity to make a nuclear weapon upon decision. Arab countries deserve special thanks for their patience and restraint, to remain inactive at a time when Israel owns more than 200 nuclear weapons with which it can destroy all Arab capitals at will. But it is the stupid American policy under Bush that spread terror under pretext of fighting it, and that spread nuclear danger under pretext of preventing its proliferation." -- "Bush and Korea" Columnist Basem Sakijha writes on the op-ed page of center-left, influential Arabic daily Ad-Dustour (10/15): "Let President George Bush dare and attack or occupy Pyongyang, if he can. Here is the rogue country and the main element of the axis of evil declaring that it has conducted a nuclear test, that it has broken the orders of the man with the final word, that it has defied his anger and his power. But he cannot do that. North Korea is not Iraq. Its weapons do not threaten Israel's security. Tel Aviv has not set it a primary goal. It does not speak Arabic and its religion is not Islam. It is not an easily swallowed.... What he does, The American President will not be able to change the reality, and this will be a lesson for anyone who wants to learn, especially Iran. When Iran declares the success of its own testing, George Bush will then have to apologize to his people and to the world that he wasted time trying to achieve impossible slogans." Editorial Commentary on Palestinian Governance -- "American assistance" Columnist Hilmi Al-Asmar writes on the inside page of center-left, influential Arabic daily Ad-Dustour (10/15): "I read several reports that talk about unprecedented American support for ousting Hamas and supporting Fatah using various 'local' tools. These reports talk about a campaign that could reach up to 42 million dollars to support Hamas' opponents prior to the expected early Palestinian elections. The talk is done by officials linked to an American program dedicated to help Hamas' political opponents, provide finances for the restructuring of Fatah, and providing training and strategic advice to secular parties and politicians who oppose Hamas' Islamists. Washington's plan was stated in an official American memorandum ... which stated that 'the project will support the objective of making available democratic alternatives to the totalitarian or extremist Islamic political options'. It is as if Hamas did not come into power through a democratic approach acknowledged by the entire world as being transparent, neutral and honest! The democracy that American wants must be that which co-related to Mr. Bush's requirements, otherwise it is dubbed as 'an extremist totalitarian regime' even if it comes through ballot boxes." HALE