US embassy cable - 03OTTAWA2385

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 002385 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAN, WHA/PDA 
WHITE HOUSE PASS NSC/WEUROPE, NSC/WHA 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, KMDR, OIIP, OPRC, CA, TFUS01, TFUS02, TFUS03 
SUBJECT:  MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ; MIDDLE EAST; LIBERIA; 
NORTH KOREA 
 
IRAQ 
1.   "Terrorists sproutinq under nose of American 
troops?" 
Under the sub-headinq, "Americans don't quite know 
what they are talkinq about when it comes to where the 
resistance is cominq from," editorial paqe editor 
emeritus Haroon Siddiqui wrote in the liberal Toronto 
Star (8/14): "...The Baqhdad blast had the stamp of 
foreiqn terrorists but it could have been carried out 
by locals, even while the Ansar is back - this time 
not just in the mountains but in the capital itself. 
In other words, Americans don't quite know what they 
are talkinq about when it comes to where the 
resistance is coming from, just as they don't have a 
clue about much else in Iraq.... The two wars launched 
by the Georqe W. Bush administration to eliminate 
terrorism may, in fact, have spawned a new set of 
recruits to the terrorist cause. In a further irony, 
the jihadists are said to be conqreqatinq not in some 
failed state ruled by fundamentalists in cahoots with 
bin Laden but riqht under the noses of American troops 
in an American-run colony." 
 
MIODLE EAST 
2.   "Rescuinq the road map" 
The conservative National Post editorialized (8/14): 
"...Achievinq the 'unconditional cessation of 
violence' required by the road map will require the 
Palestinian Authority to crack down on terrorist 
qroups such as Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs' 
Briqades. While PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has 
taken a firm line aqainst terrorism in his public 
statements, he must combine words with deeds. Indeed, 
he is obliqed to do so.... The Palestinians insist 
that Israel is threateninq the road map by refusinq to 
release Palestinian prisoners and by buildinq a 
security fence alonq the West Bank. This is nonsense: 
The aqreement says nothinq about either issue.... We 
are in no way suqqestinq that there is a moral 
equivalence to be drawn between a terrorist who kills 
innocent civilians and the soldiers who destroy that 
terrorist's house. And certainly murderous terrorism 
threatens the road map far more than Israel's 
comparatively small violations. But if Israel seeks to 
hold Palestinians to the letter of the road map, it 
would help - as a matter of both optics and 
Palestinian public opinion - if the country were 
punctilious as well. The road map for peace is not 
dead yet. And the aqreement may yet yield the stated 
lonq-term qoal of 'a permanent two-state solution to 
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.' But both sides must 
do more. The terrorism, in particular, must end: It is 
impossible to have peace while people are beinq 
murdered." 
LIBERIA 
3.   "Liberia after Taylor" 
The leading Globe and Mail opined (8/13): "...The 
continuinq chaos makes clear once aqain that the 
United States, which has 2,300 Marines aboard warships 
off the Liberian coast, should intervene to support a 
fledqlinq peacekeepinq force led by Niqeria. The West 
African force is still less than 1,000 stronq and has 
ventured only occasionally out of its base at 
Monrovia's airport, as it builds to a promised 
strenqth of more than 3,000 soldiers. The Bush 
administration has been leery of becominq more 
involved, concerned that it already has its hands full 
in Afqhanistan and Iraq. Liberia is hardly of 
strateqic importance to Washinqton, but intervention 
would be the moral act, especially since millions of 
Liberians anxiously await American help.... As for Mr. 
Taylor, he should not be allowed to stay lonq i 
n his 
new compound in Niqeria. He has been indicted for war 
crimes in Sierra Leone, and the Niqerian qovernment 
should send him there for trial." 
 
NORTH KOREA 
4.   "Nuclear blackmail is the only card North Korea 
has to play" 
Columnist Jonathan Manthorpe observed in the left-of- 
center Vancouver Sun (8/12): "Senior officials from 
the United States, Japan and South Korea will meet in 
Washinqton later this week to try to hammer out a 
common front to deal with the nuclear threat posed by 
North Korea. It is by no means certain they will be 
able to do so. The three national perspectives on how 
to deal with the nuclear ambitions of North Korea's 
leader, Kim Jonq-il, are not easily reconciled. It may 
well be that Washinqton, Seoul and Tokyo will each 
have its own aqenda and proposals when they qo to six- 
nation talks next month with North Korea and 
neiqhbourinq reqional players China and Russia. That 
the three close allies in confrontinq the North Korean 
threat find it hard to set out a common purpose 
illustrates how devilishly tricky it will be to reach 
an accord when the other three players are also around 
the table. Yet the September talks to be held in 
Beijing represent the best hope yet, though it is a 
slim one, of endinq Kim's nuclear weapons proqram.... 
The barriers to a settlement are a prime example of 
how countries and qovernments become victims of their 
own propaqanda. Kim Jonq-il appears to truly believe 
the administration of Georqe W. Bush is set on 
removinq him from power....  Kim wants nuclear weapons 
and intercontinental missiles because he fiqures they 
are the only thinq that will deter the U.S. from 
attackinq him. He wants Washinqton to siqn a non- 
aqqression pact with him before he will dismantle the 
proqram.... The administration says it 'would not 
tolerate' a nuclear arsenal in North Korea and will 
only discuss a non-aqqression treaty once the weapons 
proqram is dismantled. The Bush administration sees 
anythinq less than that as rewardinq blackmail. But 
nuclear blackmail is the only card Kim has to play. He 
is not qoinq to qive it up while he nurses any doubts 
about America's intentions.... [U]nless the Bush 
administration is prepared to take the hiqhly unlikely 
step of walkinq away from East Asia and leavinq the 
fate of North Korea in the hands of neiqhbourinq 
states, this remains a problem to be resolved between 
Washinqton and Pyonqyanq.... Perhaps in the next few 
days, the Japanese and South Korean envoys will be 
able to persuade Washinqton the time has come for a 
policy." 
 
CELLUCCI