SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: POTUS REMARKS ON MIDDLE EAST

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001190 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA; INR/B; RRU-NEA IIP/NEA-SCA WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC SECDEF FOR OASD/PA USCINCCENT FOR POLAD LONDON FOR ERELI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC SUBJECT: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: POTUS REMARKS ON MIDDLE EAST CALLING FOR INTERNATIONAL MEETING THIS FALL ¶1. SUMMARY: President Bush's July 16 call for an international conference on the Middle East receives relatively sparse coverage in the UAE's print media. "Al-Khaleej" voices skepticism regarding the peace conference, and notes that peace is impossible before the end of Bush's presidency. The editorial states: "all that Bush wants is to serve the Zionist Entity and to have Arabs run towards Israel." Another UAE writer in "Al-Khaleej" notes that Bush is concerned with terrorism in Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel, but not about the Indian-Israeli agreements involving long range missiles. He writes: "This fact underscores the American hypocrisy and its double standards policies which states that it is ok for Israel to have ballistic missiles, but if other countries try to possess ordinary military capabilities just to defend themselves then it is forbidden for them even if it was for peaceful reasons." A Saudi writer in "Al-Ittihad" says there is a "less than zero" chance for a peace deal. He opined that President Bush has never been credible or serious about the peace process. End Summary. ¶2. Under the headline "Bush and the Art of Floating," the editorial in Sharjah-based Arabic daily "Al-Khaleej" (circulation 90,000) 07/18 reads: "It seems that George Bush, who is sinking in the Iraqi quagmire, has not found a way to float a bit except to entertain himself with the Palestinian issue by renewing his talks about his vision of a Palestinian state which seems to be closer to one of the seven wonders of the world. To float, many need help from Bush to avoid being dragged by him into sinking along with him in his mobile quagmires. But it is almost impossible for them to float away from him because of Bush's internal and external stalemates and due to the fact that Bush is still dedicating himself and his policies to the service of the Zionist occupation in Palestine, which he insists to be called "the Jewish state."... The idea of having a two-state country was launched by Junior Bush 5 years ago, so how would he possibly accomplish in the final months left of his presidency what he was not been able to do in the past 5 years? The matter is out question especially that Bush is completely biased to his Zionist partners and there are some who say that Ehud Olmert, the war criminal who has recently visited the White House, was behind this idea of the international conference. So what does Bush want? He is desperately struggling for more Arab countries to run towards Israel, for more discord in the Palestinian arena and on the Arab level, and to consolidate his idea that the conflict in the region is actually between extremists and moderates so as to write off the Arab struggling with the Zionist entity, to disarm the resistance, and to keep the occupier at where he has occupied." ¶3. Under the headline "Bush and the new Middle East conference", a UAE writer, Ahmed Ibrahim, wrote on 07/18 in "Al-Khaleej": "...He speaks without listening to himself or contemplating on what is written or said about him... He is still determined to have a new born Middle East and send to the Middle East the same characters (Rice) carrying with them the carrot and stick at the same time, against Arabs and Palestinians respectively, in an absolute support of the Zionist entity. So many times in the past has he tried with Israel to form alliances and divide the areas, but they failed, because the Middle East was always ungovernable and rebellious. If the matter was so easy, Bush would have been able to establish the Iraq he has always dreamed of the night he entered Baghdad but Iraq is still Iraq, which we all know, where Bush is still facing his bitter failure... .Bush is concerned about "Israel" but is not concerned about the Arab countries even though these Israeli missiles and the other weapons of mass destruction threaten Arabs whether these Arab states remained in their old territories, or became part of the new Middle East." ¶4. Under the headline "The President lies again", a Saudi intellectual, Dr. Khalid Al-Dakheel, wrote a lengthy 07/18 op-ed in Abu Dhabi-based Arabic semi-official daily "Al-Ittihad" (circulation 65,000): "What is the chance of a peace deal in the region in the coming two years?" He immediately answers by saying, "There is a consensus in the region and in capitals which directly deal with the expected peace including Washington and the Jewish state that the chance is less than zero". The writer adds that there is also a zero chance to ABU DHABI 00001190 002 OF 002 achieve a peace deal in the coming six years. He states "The reason is so simple; the Arabs including the Palestinians want peace and they have proved that, [but] the Israelis do not want peace at this time. Americans side with the Israelis for political reasons in many cases but also for religious reasons in some cases." The writer adds, "The President's sudden speech last Monday has nothing new at all," the writer says. "It is just boring repetitions of slogans and empty promises. The reason behind this speech is the coup in Gaza and the nearly complete collapse of the American policy in Iraq." The writer notes: "The president starts his speech by reminding us that he is the first president who calls for a Palestinian state. It is true that he did this in 2001 but he has not been credible. Six year later, there is no indicator that he is serious in establishing a Palestinian state." The writer concludes: "The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth cited sources at the Prime Minister's office saying that the White House has coordinated the topics of the President's speech with them. If this is true, which is likely, then George Bush is actually selling air to the Arabs, publicly and bluntly." SISON