OMAN MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000157 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP NEA/PPD NEA/PI INR/R/MR NEA/SA/EX/PMO LONDON FOR NEA WATCHER PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER FOREIGN PRESS CENTER FOR NEA WATCHER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KPAO KMDR MU SUBJECT: OMAN MEDIA REACTION ¶1. SUMMARY: In this week's Omani papers, government daily "Oman" praised Secretary Clinton's trip to Egypt, saying it signals that the Middle East is at the "forefront" of the Obama administration's foreign policy, adding that the Secretary's presence will "multiply the effect of the Donor's Conference." On February 26, private daily "Al Watan" said that the recent Arab meeting in Kuwait furthered Arab unity. On February 28, "Al Watan" congratulated Palestinian factions for reaching an agreement in Egypt, but admonished them to watch out for Israel's attempts to undo the progress. END SUMMARY. -------------- "SPREAD OF AN ATMOSPHERE OF OPTIMISM" -------------- ¶2. On February 26, private Arabic daily "Al Watan" (circulation 42,000) stated that the recent Arab summit in Kuwait has further unified the Arab world, but ISRAEL and other threats may derail this progress. According to "Arab Move is a Healthy Phenomena": "The Economic Reconciliation Summit in Kuwait moved forward Arab relations and the spread of an atmosphere of optimism. However, many issues threaten to kill this glimmer of hope. On the Palestinian level, ISRAEL is still delaying and counting on divisions in Palestine to slow the peace process. The Israelis want to undermine the feelings of promise and optimism among Arabs created by the progress of Barack Obama's administration. Regarding Syria and Lebanon, the Lebanese are expecting to conduct legislative elections on June 7, and to begin investigation of the Hariri assassination, which is prompting support for Lebanon. Concerning Sudan, Khartoum is preparing a response to a possible arrest warrant issued by the ICC against President Omar al Bashir, which will hopefully encourage Arab countries to stand by Sudan." -------------- "OPEN DOORS FOR RECONSTRUCTING GAZA" -------------- ¶3. "Al Watan" On February 28, hailed the Palestinian agreement reached in Sharm al Sheikh, saying it will open doors for donations for Gaza reconstruction. "An Agreement that Needs to be Immunized" said: "The agreements reached in Cairo between the Palestinian factions deserve to be congratulated. However, a vaccine is needed to immunize these agreements against possible setbacks, such as Israel's further attempts to unravel Palestinian progress. This is an opportunity to reconstruct what was destroyed by the brutal Israeli war against Gaza. The Donors' Conference in Sharm al Sheikh, the first meeting between the French President and U.S. Secretary of State, will also open doors for reconstructing Gaza." -------------- -- "MULTIPLY THE EFFECT OF THE DONOR'S CONFERENCE" -------------- -- ¶4. On March 2, government Arabic daily "Oman" (circulation 38,000) stated that Secretary Clinton's trip to Egypt proves the administration's commitment to the region, saying that her presence will also magnify the effect of the Donors' Conference. According to "Hillary Clinton's Tour and the Reconstruction of Gaza": "The tour by the U.S. Secretary of State to the region is important in this time of turmoil in the region. Not only does it imply that the U.S. administration is putting the Middle East at the forefront of the agenda (emphasized by President Obama's announcement of a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq),but Clinton's trip will also multiply the effect of the Donors' Conference. This means that Washington wants to hear directly from officials in Egypt, Israel, Ramallah, and perhaps others to develop American policy on the peace process." GRAPPO To view the entire SMART message, go to URL http://repository.state.sgov.gov/_layouts/OSS SearchResults.aspx?k=messageid:7beb4851-2ac8- 43c5-8d6d-034b292ed204