Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07MUSCAT400
2007-04-24 12:35:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Muscat
Cable title:
MEDIA REACTION: VIRGINIA TECH SHOOTINGS, ARAB NUCLEAR
how-toVZCZCXRO4978 PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV DE RUEHMS #0400/01 1141235 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 241235Z APR 07 FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8122 INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0480 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0372 RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 000400
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: VIRGINIA TECH SHOOTINGS, ARAB NUCLEAR
PROGRAM, DARFUR CRISIS, OMAN HOMICIDES
SUMMARY: From Washington, an Omani writes in privately owned
"Al-Shabiba" that coverage of the Virginia Tech killings highlights
the positive role played by Western media, as compared to its Arab
counterparts; a columnist in government-owned "Oman" believes Arab
nukes can "pressure" Israel to make peace; privately owned
"Al-Watan" is unsurprised by Anglo-American "escalation" of the
Darfur crisis. Dailies highlighted three murders in the Sultanate
over the past week. END SUMMARY.
--------------
COVERAGE
--------------
2. Front-page headlines that focused on the wall being built in
Baghdad used the same Arabic vocabulary as that used to describe the
barrier that Israel has erected. On April 19, "Oman" front-paged an
AFP article, "Bush 'Grants' Sudan Last Chance on Darfur." On April
24, two English-language dailies and the Arabic-language
"Al-Shabiba" reported that three murders had occurred in Oman over
the past week, one in the northern governorate of Shinas, one in the
Mattrah district of Muscat, and one in the southern city of Salalah.
The motive in the Salalah crime was reportedly a family dispute,
and was carried out with a "traditional" gun. "Shabiba" noted that
the Omani government requires licenses for most guns, but not
traditional arms. The term traditional presumably refers to the
antiquated rifles that are ubiquitous in the country. It is
somewhat unusual to see crime reports in the Omani press, especially
in the level of detailed provided by "Al-Shabiba".
-------------- --------------
BLOCK QUOTES: VIRGINIA KILLINGS AND MEDIA'S ROLE
-------------- --------------
3. On April 23, privately owned daily "Al-Shabiba" (circulation
20,000) published an editorial from an Omani woman living in
Washington, entitled "The Virginia Tech Incident:"
"Of course you knew that in the university were three Arab students,
two of them a young Lebanese man and woman, and the other a young
Egyptian man who was studying for a doctorate on a scholarship. He
had reserved a return ticket to Egypt for the coming month.
Numerous, tragic details about the killing bring to mind many
things: the futility of the chaos happening in the world, people
killing each other, what happens in Iraq, and what happens in other
places, where tens of people die or are killed every day. They die
without us knowing a thing about them, as if they are nothing. No
one remembers them, and no media sheds light on their
personalities... [In the U.S.,] the media has fed the curiosity of
people, and it attempts to determine the places where mistakes were
made, and the role of those responsible in it. Here, the media
truly carries out its complete role...most of our media does not
carry out this role."
-------------- ---
ARAB NUKES A MEANS TO "PRESSURE" ISRAEL TO PEACE
-------------- ---
4. On April 17, government-owned daily "Oman" (circulation 38,000)
published an editorial about Arab aspirations to gain nuclear
weapons, in a piece entitled, "The Gateway to Arab Pressure":
"The issue of an Arab nuclear program is not something new, even
though there has been no coordination between Arab Gulf countries
and Egypt that has suddenly, after a space of fifty years, called
attention to the need of these countries for peaceful nuclear
energy... today, Egypt's endeavor to resume its nuclear activities
after a twenty-year lapse has stirred the interest of the region.
So has the nuclear project of the Gulf Cooperation Council
countries, which elicited a visit from Mohamed El Baradei, Director
General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),to Riyadh
and Muscat...Indeed, the Arab nuclear project is one of the means of
Arab pressure on Israel to compel it to make peace, and listen to
the voice of reason. It is Israel's weak point, despite its
military arsenal, something that the Arabs have neglected through
all these decades of struggle, without justification."
--------------
ANGLO-AMERICAN "ESCALATION" OF DARFUR CRISIS
--------------
5. On April 23, privately owned "Al-Watan" (circulation 42,000)
published an editorial entitled, "Darfur: What's Behind the
MUSCAT 00000400 002 OF 002
Crisis":
"The American and British determination to escalate the Darfur
crisis is not surprising. It comes despite the Sudanese
government's continuing effort and serious cooperation to solve the
crisis by diplomatic, democratic means... Many international
observers, political and strategic analysts explain [the American
and British] move as nothing more than an effort to obscure the
'ideo-political' differences that the two countries are facing in
Iraq and Palestine. It is equally unsurprising that Russia and
China are opposing this Anglo-American 'chivalry.'"
GRAPPO
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: VIRGINIA TECH SHOOTINGS, ARAB NUCLEAR
PROGRAM, DARFUR CRISIS, OMAN HOMICIDES
SUMMARY: From Washington, an Omani writes in privately owned
"Al-Shabiba" that coverage of the Virginia Tech killings highlights
the positive role played by Western media, as compared to its Arab
counterparts; a columnist in government-owned "Oman" believes Arab
nukes can "pressure" Israel to make peace; privately owned
"Al-Watan" is unsurprised by Anglo-American "escalation" of the
Darfur crisis. Dailies highlighted three murders in the Sultanate
over the past week. END SUMMARY.
--------------
COVERAGE
--------------
2. Front-page headlines that focused on the wall being built in
Baghdad used the same Arabic vocabulary as that used to describe the
barrier that Israel has erected. On April 19, "Oman" front-paged an
AFP article, "Bush 'Grants' Sudan Last Chance on Darfur." On April
24, two English-language dailies and the Arabic-language
"Al-Shabiba" reported that three murders had occurred in Oman over
the past week, one in the northern governorate of Shinas, one in the
Mattrah district of Muscat, and one in the southern city of Salalah.
The motive in the Salalah crime was reportedly a family dispute,
and was carried out with a "traditional" gun. "Shabiba" noted that
the Omani government requires licenses for most guns, but not
traditional arms. The term traditional presumably refers to the
antiquated rifles that are ubiquitous in the country. It is
somewhat unusual to see crime reports in the Omani press, especially
in the level of detailed provided by "Al-Shabiba".
-------------- --------------
BLOCK QUOTES: VIRGINIA KILLINGS AND MEDIA'S ROLE
-------------- --------------
3. On April 23, privately owned daily "Al-Shabiba" (circulation
20,000) published an editorial from an Omani woman living in
Washington, entitled "The Virginia Tech Incident:"
"Of course you knew that in the university were three Arab students,
two of them a young Lebanese man and woman, and the other a young
Egyptian man who was studying for a doctorate on a scholarship. He
had reserved a return ticket to Egypt for the coming month.
Numerous, tragic details about the killing bring to mind many
things: the futility of the chaos happening in the world, people
killing each other, what happens in Iraq, and what happens in other
places, where tens of people die or are killed every day. They die
without us knowing a thing about them, as if they are nothing. No
one remembers them, and no media sheds light on their
personalities... [In the U.S.,] the media has fed the curiosity of
people, and it attempts to determine the places where mistakes were
made, and the role of those responsible in it. Here, the media
truly carries out its complete role...most of our media does not
carry out this role."
-------------- ---
ARAB NUKES A MEANS TO "PRESSURE" ISRAEL TO PEACE
-------------- ---
4. On April 17, government-owned daily "Oman" (circulation 38,000)
published an editorial about Arab aspirations to gain nuclear
weapons, in a piece entitled, "The Gateway to Arab Pressure":
"The issue of an Arab nuclear program is not something new, even
though there has been no coordination between Arab Gulf countries
and Egypt that has suddenly, after a space of fifty years, called
attention to the need of these countries for peaceful nuclear
energy... today, Egypt's endeavor to resume its nuclear activities
after a twenty-year lapse has stirred the interest of the region.
So has the nuclear project of the Gulf Cooperation Council
countries, which elicited a visit from Mohamed El Baradei, Director
General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),to Riyadh
and Muscat...Indeed, the Arab nuclear project is one of the means of
Arab pressure on Israel to compel it to make peace, and listen to
the voice of reason. It is Israel's weak point, despite its
military arsenal, something that the Arabs have neglected through
all these decades of struggle, without justification."
--------------
ANGLO-AMERICAN "ESCALATION" OF DARFUR CRISIS
--------------
5. On April 23, privately owned "Al-Watan" (circulation 42,000)
published an editorial entitled, "Darfur: What's Behind the
MUSCAT 00000400 002 OF 002
Crisis":
"The American and British determination to escalate the Darfur
crisis is not surprising. It comes despite the Sudanese
government's continuing effort and serious cooperation to solve the
crisis by diplomatic, democratic means... Many international
observers, political and strategic analysts explain [the American
and British] move as nothing more than an effort to obscure the
'ideo-political' differences that the two countries are facing in
Iraq and Palestine. It is equally unsurprising that Russia and
China are opposing this Anglo-American 'chivalry.'"
GRAPPO