US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI3930

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 003930 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; 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:  SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WEST BANK IRAQ 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE UAE VISIT OF FAROUQ AL SHARA, FOREIGN MINISTER 
OF SYRIA, AND EVENTS IN IRAQ AND THE PALESTINIAN TERROTORIES 
DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA.  AN "AL 
BAYAN" EDITORIAL COMMENTED ON THE "BRAVE" FRENCH ATTITUDE TOWARDS 
THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE.  AN "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIAL ASSERTED THAT 
THE FAMILIES OF US SOLDIERS IN IRAQ ARE PRESSURING PRESIDENT BUSH 
TO BRING THE TROOPS HOME.  IN "AL ITTIHAD," DR. SHAMLAN AL EISSA 
ASKS, "WHO WILL SAVE IRAQ?"  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FAROUK AL SHARA ARRIVED IN THE UAE ON 
TUESDAY, AUGUST 27.  ALL UAE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA COVERED 
HIS OFFICIAL VISIT WITH SHEIKH KHALIFA BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN, ABU 
DHABI CROWN PRINCE AND DEPUTY SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE UAE ARMED 
FORCES.  ALL ARABIC AND ENGLISH DAILIES REPRINTED THE EMIRATES 
NEWS AGENCY (WAM) OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE, WHICH DID NOT QUOTE FM 
AL SHARA DIRECTLY.  THE WAM RELEASE NOTED THAT FM AL SHARA AND 
SHEIKH KHALIFA DISCUSSED "CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN PALESTINE AND 
IRAQ," "PROPOSALS TO REVAMP THE ARAB LEAGUE," THE "SITUATION IN 
THE OCCUPIED SYRIAN TERRITORIES," AND "BILATERAL RELATIONS 
BETWEEN SYRIA AND THE UAE." 
 
3.  COMMENTING ON THE "BRAVE FRENCH ATTITUDE" TOWARDS THE 
PALESTINIAN CAUSE, DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" 
EDITORIALIZED 8/26: 
 
"... THE DISTORTED ATTITUDE OF THE U.S. MEDIA TOWARDS THE 
PALESTINIAN CAUSE SHOULD BE COMPARED WITH THE POSITIVE ATTITUDE 
IN EUROPE - WHICH WE SHOULD USE TO SUPPORT OUR CAUSES - AND THE 
BRAVE FRENCH ATTITUDE.  FOR EXAMPLE, THE FRENCH, AT THE ADMISSION 
OF ISRAELI SOURCES, REFUSE TAKING ANY STANCE AGAINST THE TWO 
ISLAMIC PARTIES, HAMAS AND JIHAD.  THE FRENCH ALSO REFUSE TO TAKE 
POSITION AGAINST PRESIDENT YASER ARAFAT.  THIS LEAD SOME ISRAELI 
SOURCES TO SAY THAT THE FRENCH STAND GIVES THEM THE CHILLS!  THE 
FRENCH STAND IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE ARAB STAND.  BOTH NEED 
SUPPORT IN ORDER FOR OUR CAUSES TO BE SUPPORTED INTERNATIONALLY. 
SHOULDN'T WE START MOVING TO ACHIEVE THIS SUPPORT IN ORDER TO 
AMEND OUR IMAGE FOR WORLD PUBLIC OPINION?" 
 
4.  UNDER THE HEADLINE, "THE PRICE OF OCCUPATION," SHARJAH-BASED 
PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 8/27: 
 
"... WITH MORE U.S. SOLDIERS BEING KILLED IN OCCUPIED IRAQ, THE 
VOICES OF THE FAMILIES OF THE SOLDIERS REQUEST THAT THEIR 
CHILDREN BE BROUGHT BACK ...  IT IS NOT EASY TO OVERCOME 
WASHINGTON'S DILEMMA IN OCCUPIED IRAQ, WHICH INCREASES THE 
DECLINE OF BUSH'S POPULARITY IN HIS COUNTY, AND THIS DECREASE 
WILL INCREASE WHILE THE FAMILIES OF U.S. SOLDIERS FEEL THAT THEIR 
PRESIDENT SENT THEIR CHILDREN TO DANGER FOR ISRAEL'S SAKE FIRST, 
AND SECONDLY FOR HIS OWN SAKE AND HIS GOVERNMENT'S SAKE IN ORDER 
THAT HE REMAINS IN THE WHITE HOUSE." 
 
4.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "WHO WILL SAVE IRAQ?," DR. SHAMLAN AL 
EISSA WROTE IN ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" ON 
8/27: 
 
"... THESE BLOODY CONFLICTS IN THE DIFFERENT AREAS OF IRAQ RAISE 
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF IRAQ'S STABILITY.  COULD SECURITY 
AND STABILITY BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT THE FOREIGN EXISTENCE?  WHAT 
ARE THE POWERS THAT COULD GUARANTEE INTERNAL SECURITY AND 
STABILITY?  IS THERE A POWER OTHER THAN THE COALITION THAT COULD 
STOP THE CONFLICTS AND ESTABLISH SECURITY? ... THE COALITION 
FORCES MADE MANY MISTAKES WHEN THEY ENTERED IRAQ, THIS IS NOT 
DENIABLE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT (THE COALITION PROVISIONAL 
AUTHORITY) NEEDS THE SUPPORT OF THE INTERNAL POWERS AND PARTIES 
IN ORDER TO GOVERN IRAQ AND ESTABLISH SECURITY AND STABILITY. 
IRAQ'S PROBLEM TODAY IS NOT THE CONFLICTS BUT THE PARTIES TO THE 
CONFLICT HAVE STARTED USING VIOLENCE, TERRORISM, AND THE LANGUAGE 
OF BULLETS AND ASSASSINATIONS INSTEAD OF DEMOCRACY, FORGIVENESS, 
BROTHERHOOD, AND NATIONAL UNITY." 
 
ALBRIGHT