US embassy cable - 03SANAA2258

UNCLAS SANAA 002258 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/PD, NEA/RA, DS/OP/NEA AND 
S/CT 
CENTCOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, PTER, KISL, YM 
SUBJECT: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION ON BUSH'S ADDRESS TO THE 
NATION SEPTEMBER 7, 03. 
 
 
NEA/PPD FOR DMACINNES, JDAVIES, JGAFFNEY 
 
 
1.   SUMMARY: U.S. President George W. Bush's speech on 
September 7 has so far been mentioned only in one government 
and one opposition paper.  The opposition paper, which is 
usually very anti-American, only published excerpts of the 
speech with no commentary.  Only the government paper 
carried commentary.  Most newspapers in Yemen have not yet 
published since the President's speech last Monday.  Instead 
of focusing on the President's speech, press reports in 
general have rather focused on the 2nd anniversary of 
September 11 and its ramifications in the Arab region. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2. "Al-Thawra" (official daily) published excerpts of 
President Bush's address to the nation in its publication 
last Monday.  The paper highlighted President Bush's call on 
the UN to play a wider role in Iraq, which has become a 
central front in the war on terrorism.  On 09/09, "Al- 
Thawra" carried an opinion article entitled "The 
Babylonians' Curse."  The article indicated that Bush's 
speech carried a confession that Iraq has turned into a 
difficult front for the US to face.  The paper added that 
"President Bush is facing the curse of the Babylonians at 
the economic and military levels". 
 
3.  Without commenting on the speech, the typically anti- 
American Al-Balagh independent weekly, published excerpts of 
the speech highlighting the objectives of the US strategy in 
Iraq as stated in the President's speech as to  "destroy the 
terrorists, enlist the support of other nations for a free 
Iraq and help Iraqis assume responsibility for their own 
defense and their own Future." 
 
4.   The majority of Yemen press articles are focusing on 
ramifications of September 11 and continue to argue that the 
US anti-terror campaign launched two years ago did not 
achieve its objectives but rather increased anti-US 
sentiments in the region.  The government-owned weekly, al- 
Wahda, once argued that "the US is targeting Arabs and Islam 
in general . it's creating enemies to serve its colonial 
interests worldwide."