US embassy cable - 03AMMAN5067

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005067 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR, 
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN 
USAID/ANE/MEA 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KMDR JO 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ, BOMBING OF JORDANIAN 
EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- Lead story in the weekend papers, was the bombing 
of the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad. Lead story in all 
papers today (08/11) focuses on the Jordanian 
Parliament, which has begun discussion on a 
forthcoming vote of confidence measure. Other lead 
stories today (08/11) focus on shelling over the 
Israeli-Lebanese border and the demonstrations in 
Basra. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "The Bombing Is Aimed At Breaking Solidarity " 
 
Commenting on the bombing of the Jordanian Embassy in 
Baghdad, Columnist Samih Ma'aytah writes in the inside 
page of independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab 
Al-Yawm(08/10): "It is our duty to say that whoever 
killed innocent lives and bombed the embassy is not a 
pure Iraqi. The Iraqis, who are suffering from the 
occupation and of depression, are aware that their 
problem is not with a brother but with a clearly 
defined enemy. Therefore, whoever did this is an enemy 
of the Iraqis and of the Jordanians and of every true 
Arab and Muslim . . . We must take it easy before we 
issue any verdicts and before we hold one party or 
another responsible for this act. However, we are well 
aware that whoever bombed the embassy did not seek to 
destroy the building, but wanted to break the state of 
solidarity with Iraq and to spark Jordanian anger, 
even if temporary, against Iraq and its people and to 
lead us to something that contradicts our Arab 
Jordanian traditions and values." 
 
-- "Why Strike Our Embassy in Baghdad?" 
 
Daily columnist Sultan Hattab writes on the op-ed page 
of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai 
(08/11): "Those who struck our embassy on Thursday 
wanted to choke off the Iraqis and tighten the noose 
around them because they (who did it) were angered 
that this vein should continue to provide life and 
renew air supply. Those who committed the bombing were 
also enraged when they learned of our embassy's 
history and examined its role and accomplishments so 
that once "rule" collapsed and chaos prevailed, they 
targetted it thinking that they could topple the mast 
that hold this Jordanian characteristic . . . The 
Jordanian Embassy will remain so long as the Iraqis - 
who value this Embassy's role and who have announced 
over the past hours their pride in its role - remain. 
The Jordanian Embassy will remain so long as Jordan 
believes in its pan-Arab and humanitarian role and in 
defending its interests too. Jordan will not be held 
back by the hatred of malevolent people." 
 
-- "A War Is Over and A War Has Begun" 
 
Daily columnist Dr. Fahd Fanek writes on the back page 
of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai 
(08/11): "Richard Myers, U.S. Chairman of the Joint 
Chiefs of Staff, has finally confessed that the war is 
not over and that U.S. forces are facing a special 
kind of war in central Iraq, but claimed that his 
statement does not contradict the U.S. President's 
statement that the war is over. This is because the 
President said that the main operations are over and 
did not mean the resistance of the Iraqi people, 
something not expected by the United States, which was 
convinced by the new (Iraqi) governors and the Iraqi 
opposition abroad that U.S. soldiers would be 
considered liberators and not occupiers and that the 
Iraqis will receive them with roses and not bullets. . 
. The Iraqis do not need anyone to instigate them to 
exercise violence. Violence is their right and the 
right of all peoples who are under foreign occupation. 
Violence is a popular resistance that cannot be 
compared to the violence of a foreign occupation and 
its coercive methods." 
 
-- "Bremer and the Iraqi Resistance" 
 
Daily columnist Basem Sakijha writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(08/11): "It is certain that the operations against 
U.S. occupation forces in Iraq are not acts by 
individuals and they do not belong to a specific 
organization. These operations have spread across 
Iraq and they tend to be more concentrated in the 
Sunni areas of central and west Iraq . . .  "Bremer - 
who headed the Counter Terrorism Office at the U.S. 
State Department in the 1980s - fears an alliance 
between Ansar Al-Islam and Al-Qaeda. He is focused on 
that and does not mention the word "resistance" even 
once. It is as if we are going to witness a new twist 
to the idea of combating terrorism, but this time in 
the Iraqi arena. This is an idea that appeals to the 
U.S. citizen who still pictures the destruction of the 
two towers . . . What is happening is close to a 
popular resistance in the making. It is spreading on a 
daily basis all across Iraq. One cannot ignore what 
happened in Basra, the well know Shiite area, and 
consider it an act that is separate from the fidayeen 
operations. Indeed, it should be looked at as the 
start of a true popular revolution with all this  U.S.- 
British fumbling about in Iraq's affairs . . . We 
believe that the bombing of the Jordanian Embassy is 
nothing but a suspect incident that seeks to shuffle 
the cards and as we said in a previous commentary, we 
must search for the beneficiary of this act, which 
will not necessarily be outside the circle of the 
ruling right wing alliance in Israel and Washington." 
HALE