SADDAM AND THE WESTERN MEDIA--CONTINUED

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 03856



PARIS FOR ROSENBLATT



E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR

TAGS: PREL, US, IZ

SUBJ: SADDAM AND THE WESTERN MEDIA--CONTINUED



REFS: (A) BAGHDAD 3788, (B) BAGHDAD 3783



1. (C-ENTIRE TEXT)



2. SUMMARY THE GOI HAS PUBLICLY AND PRIVATELY

COMPLAINED ABOUT "DISTORTION" IN THE ABC VERSION

OF PRESIDENT SADDAM HUSAYN'S INTERVIEW WITH

DIANE SAWYER. IT HAS PUBLISHED BOTH THE THREE-

HOUR "UNCUT" VERSION AND WHAT IT CLAIMS IS THE

TEXT OF THE 20-MINUTE ABC PROGRAM.

ONCE AGAIN, SADDAM HAS FOUND "EVIDENCE" OF A U.S.

CAMPAIGN AGAINST HIM, YET HE IS SOLDIERING ON IN

HIS NEW POLICY OF AVAILABILITY TO THE WESTERN

PRESS (LE FIGARO IS NEXT) AND IN HIS WILLING-

NESS TO LET THE IRAQI PUBLIC SEE AND HEAR HIM

UNCUT,WARTS AND ALL. END SUMMARY.



3. FOLLOWING THE MEDIA HEADLINES GIVEN TO

PRESIDENT BUSH'S 'ID AL-ADHA MESSAGE TO IRAQI

PRESIDENT SADDAM HUSAYN (REF A) AND SADDAM'S

CORDIAL REPLY (HIGHLIGHTED IN JULY 6 NEWSPAPERS),

IRAQ'S GOVERNMENT-DIRECTED ARABIC PRESS LET OUT

A HOWL OF FRUSTRATION JULY 7 AT ABC AND DIANE

SAWYER FOR AIRING ONLY A SMALL "DISTORTED"

PORTION OF SADDAM'S JUNE 24 THREE-HOUR PLUS

INTERVIEW WITH SAWYER. "DELIBERATE DISTORTION

IN CONVERSATION OF THE LEADER WITH AMERICAN TV

NETWORK: THIS IS THE SPURIOUS DEMOCRACY OF THE

AMERICANS." THE ARTICLE ACCOMPANYING THE HEAD-

LINES DEVELOPS THESE THEMES AND INVITES READERS

TO COMPARE WHAT ABC AIRED (TEXT PRINTED JULY 7)

WITH TEXT OF THE FULL INTERVIEW (PUBLISHED

JUNE 30),TO SEE JUST HOW DISTORTED U.S. REPORT-

ING ON IRAQ IS.



4. U/S HAMDUN MADE THE SAME COMPLAINT ABOUT

"DISTORTION" TO US PRIVATELY, THOUGH IN MORE

TEMPERATE TERMS, ON JUNE 30. WHEN WE POINTED

OUT THAT COMPRESSING 3 HOURS INTO 20 MINUTES

WOULD UNAVOIDABLY REMOVE SOME OF THE CONTEXT

OF SPECIFIC REMARKS, HAMDUN SAID HE MEANT THERE

WAS DELIBERATE AND NEGATIVE DISTORTION (HE HAD

SEEN THE ABC VERSION).



5. COMMENT: CLEARLY, THE ABC INCIDENT HAS

FUELLED SADDAM'S BELIEF THAT THE WESTERN MEDIA

ARE ENGAGED IN AN ANTI-IRAQ CAMPAIGN--EDITORIALS

ARE ALREADY MAKING THAT POINT--AND ADD TO THE

SENSE THAT IRAQ WILL NOT GET A "FAIR" HEARING

IN THE WEST. NEVERTHELESS, SADDAM IS NOT THROWING

IN THE TOWEL; HE IS EXPECTED TO GRANT AN

INTERVIEW TO LE FIGARO THIS WEEK, AND 40 MORE

EUROPEAN (AND ONE JAPANESE) JOURNALISTS HAVE

SENT IN THEIR REQUESTS.



6. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT NOT ONLY HAVE

THE IRAQIS REACTED TO THE "DISTORTION" BY

RUNNING SIX HOURS OF SADDAM'S INTERVIEWS BUT HAVE

PRINTED WHAT WAS AIRED BY ABC, INCLUDING MATERIAL

THAT WAS EXCISED FROM THE VERSION OF THE INTER-

VIEW AS BROADCAST HERE. THE JULY 7 ARABIC

PRESS TRANSCRIPTS OF THAT INTERVIEW CONTAIN, FOR

EXAMPLE, SADDAM'S DENIAL THAT HE EVER KILLED

ANYONE AND HIS EXCHANGE WITH SAWYER ABOUT PUNISH-

MENT FOR THOSE WHO INSULT THE PRESIDENT. BUT,

AS WE HAVE SAID BEFORE, IT SHOULD BE CLEAR TO

EVERYONE THAT SADDAM HUSAYN IS FEELING COMFORT-

ABLE AND CONFIDENT: HE PERMITTED ALL IRAQIS

TO READ AND SEE HIS INTERVIEWS, DEMONSTRATING

THAT HE DOES NOT MIND APPEARING BEFORE THEM AS

LESS THAN IMPECCABLE.



7. ACTION REQUESTED. WE ARE MOST KEEN TO SEE

A VIDEO OF SAWYER'S INTERVIEW WITH SADDAM, IN

ORDER TO COMPARE IT WITH THE TWO VERSIONS

PUBLISHED HERE.



GLASPIE