US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI4105

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 004105 
 
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, MOU; PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, TC 
SUBJECT:  MEDIA REACTION:  UAE SUPPORT FOR IGC ABU MAZEN'S 
RESIGNATION PRESIDENT BUSH'S SPEECH UNSC IRAQ 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE UAE STATEMENT SUPPORTING THE PARTICIPATION OF 
THE IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER'S PARTICIPATION IN THE ARAB FOREIGN 
MINISTERS' CONFERENCE, THE RESIGNATION OF PALESTINIAN PRIME 
MINISTER MAHMOUD ABBAS AKA ABU MAZEN, THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT 
ON HAMAS LEADER SHEIKH AHMAD YASSIN, THE US DRAFT UNSC RESOLUTION 
ON IRAQ, AND PRESIDENT BUSH'S SPEECH DOMINATED COVERAGE IN THE 
UAE MEDIA.  EDITORIALS IN BOTH "AL ITTIHAD" AND "AL KHALEEJ" 
COMMENTED ON ABU MAZEN'S RESIGNATION.  ANOTHER EDITORIAL IN "AL 
KHALEEJ" UNDER THE HEADLINE "A EUROPEAN FALL," REMARKED ON THE 
EU'S DESIGNATION OF HAMAS AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.  AN "AL 
BAYAN" EDITORIAL SUPPORTED THE FRENCH POSITION TOWARDS THE US 
DRAFT UNSC RESOLUTION.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "A EUROPEAN FALL," SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB 
DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 9/08: 
 
"RECORDING HAMAS ... ON THE EUROPEAN LIST OF TERRORISM IS A 
DANGEROUS EUROPEAN FALL INTO THE AMERICAN-ISRAELI TRAP THAT 
FORGES THE TRUTH FOR THE SAKE OF AN OCCUPATION THAT HAS NOTHING 
TO DO WITH CIVILIZATION ... TERRORISM IS A ZIONIST 
CHARACTERISTIC, IT IS ALSO THE TITLE OF THIS ENTITY THAT ENGAGES 
IN MASSACRES, AND IT (ISRAEL) SHOULD BE RECORDED AT THE TOP OF 
THE WORLD'S LIST OF TERRORISM ... THE TERRIBLE THING IS WHAT IS 
BEHIND THIS AMERICAN PHASE, RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LOSS OF RIGHTS 
AND THE MARGINALIZATION OF ITS PROTECTORS ..." 
 
3.  THE UAE'S OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING IRAQ'S PARTICIPATION 
IN ARAB FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING WAS CARRIED FULL TEXT IN ALL 
ARABIC AND ENGLISH DAILIES ON 9/07, AND READS AS FOLLOWS: 
 
"SHEIKH HAMDAN BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN, MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN 
AFFAIRS, TODAY INFORMED HOSHYAR ZEBARI, FOREIGN MINISTER IN THE 
NEW IRAQI GOVERNMENT, OF THE UAE'S SUPPORT FOR HIS PARTICIPATION 
IN THE ARAB FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING DUE TO BE HELD IN CAIRO 
TOMORROW.  DURING A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH HIM, SHEIKH 
HAMDAN ALSO AFFIRMED THE UAE'S SUPPORT FOR THE IRAQI GOVERNING 
COUNCIL AND THE NEW IRAQI GOVERNMENT IN THEIR EFFORTS AIMED AT 
RESTORING SECURITY AND STABILITY TO IRAQ AS WELL AS ITS 
RECONSTRUCTION." 
 
4.  COMMENTING ON THE RESIGNATION OF ABU MAZEN AND THE 
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON SHEIKH AHMED YASSIN, ABU DHABI-BASED 
SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED 9/07: 
 
"... THE SITUATION ESCALATED AND REACHED ITS PEAK YESTERDAY 
THROUGH THE TARGETING OF HAMAS'S LEADER.  ALSO, THE RESIGNATION 
OF THE PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER ESTABLISHED THE REALITY OF THE 
DIVISION AND CONFLICT IN THE (PALESTINIAN) NATIONAL AUTHORITY 
THAT HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON THESE CONFLICTS INSTEAD OF TRYING TO 
OBTAIN A CLEAR VISION OF HOW TO CONFRONT THE CONTINUOUS ATTACKS 
...  WITH THE OBVIOUSNESS OF THE GOALS OF THE ZIONIST RIGHT WING, 
WHICH STAMPED THE ISRAELI COMMUNITY WITH THE CHARACTERISTIC OF 
RADICALISM, THE PALESTINIANS MUST, TODAY MORE THAN ANY OTHER 
TIME, UNITE AND PUT ALL CONFLICTS ASIDE ..." 
 
5.  NOTING THAT THE CONFLICT AMONG THE PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT, 
WHICH WAS REVEALED BY ABU MAZEN'S RESIGNATION, IS SOMETHING THAT 
COULD BE SOLVED AND OVERCOME, AND THAT ISRAEL IS THE REAL 
PROBLEM, "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 9/07: 
 
"... SO, THE PALESTINIAN PROBLEM IS NOT WITH THE ROADMAP OR THE 
PEOPLE WHO PUT IT, BUT IT IS WITH ISRAEL AND THEIR STRATEGY OF 
TARGETING (PALESTINIAN LEADERS) THAT DENIES THE PALESTINIANS ANY 
JUST SOLUTION THAT COULD RETURN THEIR ELIGIBLE RIGHTS TO THE 
PALESTINIAN PEOPLE, AND ALSO WITH THE U.S. WHO ARE SUPPORTING 
ISRAEL AND CONSIDERING THIS TO BE PART OF THEIR WAR AGAINST 
TERRORISM, SINCE RESISTANCE HAS BECOME TERRORISM AND KILLING, 
DESTROYING, AND ASSASSINATING HAS BECOME SELF PROTECTION ... 
ISRAEL IS THE PROBLEM, AND NO ONE ELSE.  THIS PROBLEM SHOULD NOT 
BE MINIMIZED TO A CONFLICT BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE WHILE SHARON IS 
SLAUGHTERING EVERYONE." 
 
6.  COMMENTING ON THE FRENCH POSITION ON THE US DRAFT UNSC 
RESOLUTION ON IRAQ, DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" 
EDITORIALIZED 9/06: 
 
"... THE FRENCH POSITION IS THE RIGHT ATTITUDE TO RE-ESTABLISH 
SECURITY IN IRAQ, BECAUSE WITHOUT TRANSFERRING AUTHORITY AND 
RESPONSIBILITY TO THE IRAQI PEOPLE, SECURITY WILL ALWAYS BE LOST 
...  THE THREE POSITIONS (OF FRANCE, GERMANY, AND RUSSIA) SHOW A 
REAL DESIRE FOR THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF STABILITY AND SECURITY IN 
IRAQ ..." 
 
7.  COMMENTING ON THE US DRAFT UNSC RESOLUTION ON IRAQ, "AL 
KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 9/06: 
 
"... CHIRAC, SHROEDER AND OTHERS REALIZE THAT THE GOAL BEHIND THE 
AMERICAN RESOLUTION SUBMITTED TO THE UN IS TO DRAG THE REST OF 
THE COUNTRIES TO THE IRAQI QUAGMIRE UNDER THE UN FLAG, AND NOT TO 
GET IRAQ OUT OF THE CURRENT OCCUPATION ... TRYING TO GO AROUND 
INTERNATIONAL LEGITIMACY OR SEEKING TO USE IT FOR THE BENEFIT OF 
THE AMERICAN POLICY WILL NOT SUCCEED BECAUSE OF THE AWARENESS 
THAT THE U.S. IS IN SERIOUS TROUBLE, AND GETTING OUT OF THIS 
PROBLEM WON'T OCCUR EXCEPT BY GOING BACK TO THE UN ..." 
WAHBA