MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ/G-8 SUMMIT & PUTIN'S STATEMENTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000946 SIPDIS 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 ERELI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ/G-8 SUMMIT & PUTIN'S STATEMENTS ¶1. SUMMARY: "Al-Khaleej" is skeptical of statements made by the U.S. ambassador in Iraq who said that chaos will deteriorate further in Iraq if U.S. forces leave. A columnist in "Al-Khaleej" and "Al-Bayan" describes the tension between the U.S. and Russia on the eve of G-8 summit as a return to the Cold War. End Summary. ¶2. Under the headline "The habit of lying", the editorial in Sharjah-based Arabic daily "Al-Khaleej" (circulation 90,000) 06/07 read: "The Bush's Administration has not deserted the habit of lying ever since it took power. This has been demonstrated in each substantial issue, whether external or internal. Yesterday Russia scoffed at the administration's allegations that the missile shield, which will be installed in the Czech Republic and Poland, is to protect the United States from North Korean and Iranian missiles... The statements made by the U.S. ambassador in Iraq in which he stressed that chaos will deteriorate in Iraq if U.S. forces leave are either extremely foolish or, are in fact, mocking the minds of people. He speaks as if what is happening in Iraq now is not chaos. Do the dozens of people who spend their nights at random places in the streets of cities co notate stability? Or do the thousands of Iraqis fleeing the country mark prosperity? Is the sectarian and ethnic division that is growing day after day an indication of the rule of law and order? The American Administration knows that its scheme is collapsing in Iraq, and that the method of its withdrawal will have a major impact on their interests in the region and the world. It is thus living in the illusion that things in Iraq will turn to their advantage in order to avoid the bitterness of its defeat, and the erosion of its interests abroad. All of this happend because the Bush Administration did not take into account the interests, stability and prosperity of the Iraqi people. It also did not take into consideration the interests of neighboring countries. This is because it actually believes in the "constructive chaos" that allows this administration to manage conflicts in order to protect its interests and maximize them." ¶3. Under the headline "Russia and the cold war", columnist, Hussam Kanafani, wrote in a 06/07 in "Al-Khaleej": "... It may be too early to talk about a new and clear "cold war". However, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, who is the heir to the Soviet Union, undoubtedly yearns to the former glory of his country. Today he searches for ways to achieve his objectives, especially now that the extension of the United States and NATO is approaching the Russian border... Russia now is searching for its lost sovereignty. It seems that Putin found in the international circumstances an opportunity to re-endorse his country's sovereignty to the maximum. The impasse and the failure that the American policies are witnessing in the world, especially after the war on Iraq, and the human attrition there, in addition to the unprecedented division in the United States, gives Putin a chance to show that his country can be a strong player in international politics. Russia today is on the way back, at least politically, to the Soviet Union. Soon and it will not be long, the global balance will be restored." ¶4. Under the headline "Bush-Putin and the crisis during the summit", the editorial in Dubai-based Arabic daily "Al-Bayan" (circulation 85,000) 06/07 read: "The tension between Washington and Moscow is unprecedented since the Soviet Union's collapse. This was reflected in the mutual bickering between the two capitals on the eve of the G-8 summit, with a language that not only reflects the depth of mutual suspicion, but also signals the end of what was like a honeymoon that prevailed in their relations after the fall of the Berlin wall. It also possibly signals the beginning of a new wall between them. The Bush Administration continues to preach to Moscow on democracy and human rights; which inturn made Putin react strongly, threatening to oce again re-direct the Russian missiles to European countries. It is as if he is trying to remind eeryone of the fact that his country continues topossess a strategic military arsenal that can no be ignored." ABU DHABI 00000946 002 OF 002 SISON