MEDIA REACTION: U.S. PRESIDENT'S TOUR TO THE REGION.

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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: U.S. PRESIDENT'S TOUR TO THE REGION.



1. SUMMARY: President Bush's tour to the region is garnering
extensive local media coverage in Oman. The media described his tour
as "controversial" because of his remarks in support of Israel, in
local eyes contradicting the purpose of the visit. Both private and
government dailies expressed the reactions of the observers and
officials that varied from pessimism and official welcoming. Online
commentary focuses on the omission of Oman from the President's
itinerary and rumors regarding a possible unannounced stop. END
SUMMARY.

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COVERAGE
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2. News of U.S. president George W. Bush's state visit to region
received prominent, above-the-fold front-page coverage with large
color photos in Omani dailies. On Thursday, January 10 the
state-owned Arabic daily "Oman" (circulation 38,000) carried photos
showing warm greetings among the President, Secretary Rice, and
Israeli officials - contrasted with the image of a Palestinian girl
crying for the loss of a relative killed in an Israeli raid. On
Friday, January 11 the privately owned Arabic daily
"Al-Watan""(circulation 42,000) led with Bush's statement that "The
barricades cause suffering to Palestinians but are security to the
Israelis" as its main headline. It stated that President called for
ending occupation and suggested an international mechanism to
compensate the refugees and he awaits a peace deal before the end of
his term. "Al-Watan" also front-paged a photo of from the
President's arrival ceremony in Bahrain on Sunday January 13.
Private Arabic, youth-oriented "Al-Shabibah" (circulation
20,000)reported that Bush and Ehud Olmert spent two hours discussing
Iran, as well as the President's reaffirmation of full support to
the security of the "Jewish state."

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"... A GREAT PUSH TO THE EFFORTS OF PEACE..."
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3. On January 12, state-owned daily "Oman" published a positive
editorial about the President's intention to establish peace in the
region, under the headline "Bush and another move to empower
peace":

"Regardless of the President's reaffirmation of his commitment to
the U.S. policy supporting Israel and its security at all
circumstances, the President has also stressed not only the
possibility of reaching a settlement before leaving the White House
next January, but also very important points about the importance of
Israel's withdrawal out of the territories it occupied in 1967, and
on the establishment of a Palestinian State, in addition to
stressing the need that both sides should negotiate and agree on any
amendments to the borders, and his pointing out to a mechanism to
compensate Palestinian refugees. As such, the U.S. President has
given a great push to the efforts of peace and the Arab-Israeli
negotiations. . . . However, as Abbas noted, the whole matter hangs
on Israel's readiness to avail the opportunity to reach peace."

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BUT "NO LEGAL BASIS" FOR THE PUSH
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4. Privately owned "Al-Watan" published on the same date an
editorial," Statements that needed more explanations":

"The US President's suggestions regarding the final solution of the
Arab-Israeli conflict are not binding to any one. In the presence
of international resolutions and clear guidelines for the final
solution, the President's suggestions on the return to 1967 borders
and refugees' compensation have no legal bases. That is why the
Palestinian Authority (Sayib 'Iraiqat) wasted no time to distance
itself away from Bush statements. It is duty of All Arabs, not only
Sayib 'Iraiqat, to reiterate rejecting President Bush attempts to
drive the main issues in the settlement out of the UN umbrella. If
he meant to please Olmert, the Israelis, or the Jewish lobby, this
does necessarily demolish all the main pillars of the settlement."


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U.S. SUPPORT a "GREEN LIGHT" AGAINST GAZA?
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5. The lead editorial in "Al-Watan" on January 13 continued
attacking the President's remarks in support of Israel as "A Dualism

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refused by Arab Conscious:"

"The statements of the American president during his tour were more
to satisfy Israelis than an intention to express the American
position toward reaching a compromise between the two states - the
ostensible purpose of this tour. In every statement and remark in
this tour by the president we discover a new dimension
characterizing the U.S. position that fully, absolutely, and
thoughtlessly supports Israel. According to Israeli military
sources, one of the fruits harvested by Israel as a result of this
tour was getting the U.S. green light to launch a wide scale attack
against Gaza strip on the pretext of restoring its control under the
Palestinian Authority. By itself, this is a notion that contradicts
with the call for resolving the conflict peacefully."

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ONLINE: WHERE'S OUR VISIT?
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6. Omani online commenters, on both the Arabic and English Sablas
(www.omania2.net and www.englishsabla.com, respectively),as well as
on several leading blogs, focused less on the regional impact of the
President's visit and more on the omission of Oman from his
itinerary. Some commenters attributed the oversight to the
Sultanate's already close relationship with the U.S., while one
writer pointed out that, given the frequency of his visits, Oman
must fall in the portfolio of Vice President Cheney. Several
posited hopefully that a "secret" visit must be in the offing.

GRAPPO