US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI3789

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 003789 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/FO; NEA/NGA; NEA/ARP (DJONES, TWILLIAMS, 
LMALENAS); NEA/PPD (JDAVIES, DMACINNES, DRCROFT, 
JKINCANOON); NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA; INR/B; 
IIP/G/NEA-SA 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC 
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA 
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH; PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, TC 
SUBJECT:  MEDIA REACTION:  MEMBERS OF IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL 
VISIT THE UAE, EDITORIAL COMMENT ON PALESTINE IRAQ 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL'S VISIT TO THE UAE AND 
THE SITUATION IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES AND IRAQ DOMINATED 
COVERAGE IN THE UAE MEDIA.  AN EDITORIAL IN "AL ITTIHAD" 
DESCRIBED THE IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL'S VISIT TO THE UAE AS A 
GOOD CHOICE THAT WILL IMPROVE THE IRAQI PEOPLE'S HOPES AND 
EXPECTATIONS.  SIMILARLY, ANOTHER EDITORIAL IN "AKHBAR AL ARAB" 
COMMENTED ON THE UAE'S SUPPORT FOR THE IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL. 
ANOTHER EDITORIAL IN "AL KHALEEJ" COMMENTED ON THE PALESTINIANS' 
AND ISRAELIS DIFFERING TRANSLATIONS OF THE ROADMAP.  END SUMMARY 
 
2.  LED BY CHAIRMAN IBRAHIM AL JA'AFARI, MEMBERS OF THE IRAQI 
GOVERNING COUNCIL'S VISITED THE UAE FROM AUGUST 17 TO 18.  ALL 
ARABIC AND ENGLISH DAILIES AND ARABIC SATELLITE TV STATIONS 
FEATURED COVERAGE OF THE VISIT. 
 
3.  ON AUGUST 18, THE ARRIVAL OF CHAIRMAN AL JA'AFARI AND FIVE 
OTHER MEMBERS OF IRAQ'S GOVERNING COUNCIL.  ALL ARABIC AND 
ENGLISH DAILIES FEATURED FRONT-PAGE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE 
DELEGATION'S RECEPTION BY UAE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER SHEIKH SULTAN 
BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN IN ABU DHABI.  8/18 HEADLINES INCLUDED: 
 
--"IRAQI COUNCIL HAILS UAE SUPPORT" (GULF TODAY) 
--"SULTAN BIN ZAYED WELCOMES IRAQI COUNCIL" (AL KHALEEJ) 
--"AL JA'AFARI: EMIRATES HISTORY WITH IRAQ IS HONOURABLE" (AL 
ITTIHAD) 
--"AL JA'AFARI PRAISES UAE'S HONOURABLE HISTORY IN DEALING WITH 
IRAQ" (AL BAYAN) 
--"IRAQI COUNCIL DELEGATION PRAISES UAE PRESIDENT'S STAND" 
(AKHBAR AL ARAB) 
--"COUNCIL SEEKS TO OPEN NEW PAGE" (GULF NEWS) 
 
4.  ON AUGUST 17, AN OFFICIAL SOURCE AT THE UAE FOREIGN MINISTRY 
WAS QUOTED BY THE EMIRATES NEWS AGENCY IN ALL ARABIC AND ENGLISH 
DAILES IN ADVANCE OF THE DELEGATION'S ARRIVAL AS SAYING: 
 
"THE TREMENDOUS INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT THAT THE COUNCIL HAS 
RECEIVED SO FAR IS UNDOUBTEDLY A CONFIDENCE BOOSTER.  IT (THE 
VISIT) WILL HELP THE COUNCIL REALIZE THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE IRAQI 
PEOPLE FOR STABILITY AND SECURITY." 
 
"THE SOURCE RE-AFFIRMED THE UNSTINTED COMMITMENT OF THE UAE TO DO 
EVERYTHING WITHIN ITS POWER TO SUPPORT THE COUNCIL AS IT DEALS 
WITH INCREASINGLY DAUNTING RESPONSIBILITIES, INCLUDING THE 
FORMATION OF AN IRAQI GOVERNMENT AND DRAFTING A NEW CONSTITUTION 
FOR THE COUNTRY." 
 
"IN EXTENDING THIS SUPPORT TO COUNCIL, SAID THE SOURCE, THE UAE 
IS FULFILLING ITS GREATER NATIONAL OBLIGATIONS IN SUPPORTING THE 
IRAQI PEOPLE AT THIS CRITICAL JUNCTURE.  THE UAE, ADDED THE 
SOURCE, CALLS FOR LENDING EVERY POSSIBLE SUPPORT TO THE COUNCIL 
SO AS TO ENABLE IT TO DISCHARGE ITS RESPONSIBILITIES IN A MANNER 
THAT WOULD PRESERVE THE SOVEREIGNTY, UNITY AND TERRITORIAL 
INTEGRITY OF IRAQ." 
 
5.  8/17 HEADLINES INCLUDED: 
 
--"UAE SUPPORTS THE IRAQI COUNCIL'S EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE 
EXPECTATION OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE"  (AL ITTIHAD) 
--"IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL ARRIVES IN UAE TODAY" (AL BAYAN) 
--"UAE CALLS FOR SUPPORT OF THE IRAQI COUNCIL IN ORDER TO PROTECT 
IRAQ'S SOVEREIGNTY, INDEPENDENCE, AND UNITY" (AL KHALEEJ) 
---"UAE CALLS FOR SUPPORT OF THE IRAQI COUNCIL IN ORDER TO 
PROTECT IRAQ'S SOVEREIGNTY, INDEPENDENCE, AND UNITY" (AKHBAR AL 
ARAB) 
 
6.  DESCRIBING THE IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL'S VISIT TO THE UAE AS 
A 'GOOD CHOICE,' SEMI-OFFICIAL ABU DHABI-BASED ARABIC DAILY "AL- 
ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED 8/17: 
 
"... THE UAE IS WELCOMING TODAY A DELEGATION OF THE IRAQI 
GOVERNING COUNCIL CHAIRED BY MR. IBRAHIM AL JA'AFARI, THE 
COUNCIL'S PRESIDENT ... THIS WILL DEFINITELY LEAD THE COUNCIL TO 
ACHIEVE THE IRAQI PEOPLE'S EXPECTATIONS FOR STABILITY AND PEACE 
AND THE PROTECTION OF ITS NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY AND UNITY ... WE 
HOPE THAT THIS VISIT WILL BE A GOOD START FOR COMMUNICATION, 
DELIBERATION, AND THINKING BETWEEN THE IRAQI PEOPLE'S 
REPRESENTATIVES AND THEIR BROTHERS IN THE ARAB WORLD.  THIS WILL 
LEAD TO ELIMINATING THE VEIL THAT HAS BEEN PLACED ACROSS THEIR 
EYES ..." 
 
7.  COMMENTING ON THE UAE'S SUPPORT OF THE IRAQI GOVERNING 
COUNCIL, ABU DHABI-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AKHBAR AL ARAB" 
EDITORIALIZED 8/17: 
 
"... VIEWPOINTS MIGHT DIFFER WHEN IT COMES TO THE WAY THE 
GOVERNING COUNCIL WAS CHOSEN... OR WHEN IT COMES TO ITS 
RESPONSIBILITIES, AUTHORITIES, AND INFLUENCE ... THESE ARE NORMAL 
DIFFERENCES IN SUCH A SITUATION ...  BUT NO ONE DISAGREES THAT 
THE COUNCIL INCLUDES A NUMBER OF NATIONAL PERSONALITIES WHO ARE 
WELL KNOWN WITH THEIR ROLES IN PREVIOUS ERAS WHEN IRAQ NEEDED A 
RIGHTEOUS VOICE IN THE FACE OF A 'TYRANNICAL SULTAN' ... THE 
UAE'S SUPPORTIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE TRANSITIONAL COUNCIL IS A 
CONTINUATION OF THE PATH THAT THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN PURSUING IN 
THEIR WELL-BALANCED FOREIGN POLICY ..." 
 
8.  NOTING THE TWO DIFFERING TRANSLATIONS OF THE ROADMAP BY THE 
PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS, SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB "AL KHALEEJ" 
EDITORIALIZED 8/17: 
 
"... THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT TRANSLATIONS OF THE ROADMAP, AND 
THERE ARE TWO PARALLEL LINES THAT WILL NEVER MEET ... THE 
PALESTINIANS TRANSLATE THE ROADMAP TO MEAN THAT THE RIGHT OF THE 
REFUGEES TO RETURN AT THE FINAL STAGE OF ANY SOLUTION TO THE 
PALESTINIAN CAUSE.  AS FOR THE ISRAELIS, THEY BELIEVE THAT THE 
RIGHT OF RETURN IS IMPOSSIBLE ... ANY SOLUTION THAT DOES NOT 
INCLUDE THE RIGHT OF RETURN IS DEFECTIVE AND IS REJECTED ..." 
 
ALBRIGHT