MEDIA REACTION: UNSCR 1701, AMNESTY LEBANON REPORT, IRAN,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 001277 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, NEA/PI, AND INR/R/MR STATE PASS USTR FOR N. MOORJANI, J. BUNTIN LONDON FOR TSOU PARIS FOR ZEYA USCENTCOM FOR PLUSH FOREIGN PRESS CENTER FOR SILAS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KPAO KMDR MU SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: UNSCR 1701, AMNESTY LEBANON REPORT, IRAN, HERSH LEBANON ARTICLE ¶1. SUMMARY: Government-owned, Arabic-language daily "Oman" worries about renewed conflict in southern Lebanon, lauds Iran's "positive" response on its nuclear capabilities, and reprints excerpts of Seymour Hersh's "New Yorker" article alleging Israeli-U.S. collusion over the conflict in Lebanon. Privately owned Arabic-language "Al-Watan" calls for UN investigation based on Amnesty International's Lebanon report. English-language "Times of Oman" front-pages Reuters coverage alleging racial profiling at JFK airport. END SUMMARY. -------------- COVERAGE -------------- ¶2. Coverage in this week's dailies included what were by Oman's generally subdued standards two unusually tart stories on the U.S., both drawn from international sources. On Friday, August 25, English-language daily "Times of Oman" front-paged a Reuters story headlined "New York Airport Accused of Racial Profiling," accompanying the story with a large color photo of an Arab-American family whose travel was delayed. Also on August 25, state-owned Arabic-language paper "Oman" ran excerpts of the controversial August 21 "New Yorker" article by Seymour Hersh on the alleged U.S. role in the conflict in Lebanon under the headline "U.S. Administration Wanted to Kill Two Birds with One Stone." However, neither story appears to have had any further impact either in the Omani press or in other public fora. -------------- --- BLOCK QUOTES: ISRAEL'S "PROVOCATIVE OPERATIONS" -------------- --- ¶3. On August 23, government-owned Arabic daily "Oman" (circulation 38,000) commented on claims of Israeli violations of UNSCR 1701, saying, "The Delay of the International Forces Prohibits Solutions in Lebanon:" "The Israelis are still violating the terms of the resolution as they continue their provocative operations against the Lebanese resistance in the south. The international community needs to consider these actions and respond to them, because such violations prohibit the spread of the Lebanese [government] forces in the south. [Israel's actions] will lead to renewed conflict, and a delay in the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution." -------------- -------------- AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT AND ISRAELI "WAR CRIMES" -------------- -------------- ¶4. In "Reporting Condemnation Is Not Enough," "Al-Watan" (privately owned Arabic daily, circulation 42,000) commented August 24 on Amnesty International's report calculating Lebanese civilian casualties: "The report issued by Amnesty International accused Israel of war crimes in Lebanon because the army purposely targeted civilian infrastructure, destroying thousands of buildings, bridges, water facilities, and gas stations. The report considered the destruction in Lebanon to be an integral part of the Israeli operations in Lebanon, not a side effect or collateral damages from targeting military locations. This is the basis of their demand to start an independent, comprehensive investigation in the United Nations of Israel's violation of international humanitarian law in Lebanon. We hope that the human aspect was detailed in the report because this war killed 1,300 Lebanese, mostly women and children." -------------- -------------- IRANIAN RESPONSE "POSITIVE...FLEXIBLE...BALANCED" -------------- -------------- ¶5. Also on August 24, "Oman" carried an editorial, "Positive Signs in Iran's Response about Its Nuclear File": "Eight days before the end of the deadline given to Iran, it sent positive signs about its stand on the nuclear issue in response to the superpowers. Otherwise these countries, including the United States, would have had to take another way in dealing with Tehran. Although the Iranian response has not been clear, it is considered positive and accepted because it shows how keen the Iranian government is to settle its nuclear issue and the controversy surrounding it. The Iranian response ...shows how flexible and balanced [Tehran] is under the pressures it is facing and the threat MUSCAT 00001277 002 OF 002 of economic sanctions." GRAPPO