US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI4680

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 004680 
 
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 
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:  IRAQ WEST BANK 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE SITUATION IN IRAQ, THE AMERICAN DECISION TO 
DECREASE THE NUMBER OF FORCES AND THE SITUATION IN THE WEST BANK 
DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA.  AN 
EDITORIAL IN "AL BAYAN" CRITICIZED AS HYPOCRITICAL PRIME MINISTER 
SHARON'S STATEMENT THAT EXPELLING ARAFAT IS AGAINST ISRAELI 
INTERESTS.  ANOTHER EDITORIAL IN "AKHBAR AL ARAB" NOTED THAT THE 
DECISION TO DECREASE THE NUMBER OF U.S. SOLDIERS IN IRAQ IS NOT 
THE ONLY SOLUTION FOR DECREASING THE SECURITY THREATS FACING 
THEM.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  NOTING THE IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL'S REQUEST TO WASHINGTON TO 
CALL UPON THE IRAQI SOLDIERS AND POLICEMEN WHO WERE DEMOBILIZED, 
ABU DHABI-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AKHBAR AL ARAB" EDITORIALIZED 
10/21: 
 
"...THE TRANSITIONAL GOVERNING COUNCIL FOUND ITSELF UNABLE TO 
IMPOSE SECURITY IN ANY AREA OF IRAQ, SINCE IT DOES NOT CONTROL 
THE TROOPS AND CAN'T MANAGE THE NEW POLICE WHICH IS INEXPERIENCED 
COMPARED TO A MOVING POWER THAT KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT STREET AND 
CITY BATTLES... IRAQ NOW IS IN GREAT NEED OF AN ARMY, POLICE, AND 
EDUCATIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONALS TO TAKE OVER THE 
POSITIONS THAT ARE VACANT... IN ORDER FOR STABILITY TO BE 
CONTINUOUS, BRINGING BACK THE IRAQI MILITARY AND POLICE SHOULD BE 
AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE PLAN TO REPLACE THE OCCUPATION FORCES 
WITH ARAB FORCES WHOSE ROLE WILL BE TO HELP TRANSFER THE 
ADMINISTRATION TO THE IRAQIS THROUGH DEMOCRATIC VOTING." 
 
 
3.  COMMENTING ON ISRAEL LEAKING SOME INFORMATION REGARDING THEIR 
BATTLE TRAINING ON THE EGYPTIAN FRONTIER, SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB 
DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 10/20: 
 
"... THE ISRAELI MILITARY PREPARATIONS HAVE ONE MEANING, AND THAT 
IS RIPPING UP THE OSLO AGREEMENT, ENDING THE 'STOPPING OF 
CONFRONTATION' AGREEMENT ON THE SYRIAN FRONTIER, AND TEARING UP 
THE 'CAMP DAVID' AGREEMENT ON THE EGYPTIAN FRONTIER, AND THIS IS 
ALSO THE SITUATION REGARDING THE 'WADI ARABA' AGREEMENT FOR 
JORDAN... ISRAEL HAS WON ITS SHARE OF AGREEMENTS, TREATIES, AND 
HAS LIED ABOUT PURSUIT OF PEACE BY ACHIEVING MORE STRATEGIC 
SUPERIORITY ON ALL LEVELS.  IT ALSO DISABLED ALL THE ACTIVE 
ARABIC MILITARY, POLITICS, AND ECONOMIC AGENDAS, AND WITH THE 
AMERICAN EXISTENCE IN IRAQ IT (ISRAEL) SEEMS AS IF IT IS 
DOMINATING THE WHOLE REGION..." 
 
3.  NOTING THE SUGGESTION REGARDING DECREASING THE NUMBER OF 
SOLDIERS IN IRAQ GRADUALLY, "AKHBAR AL ARAB" EDITORIALIZED 10/20: 
 
"...THE DECREASE SUGGESTED WILL NOT PREVENT THE DANGERS THE U.S. 
TROOPS ARE FACING SINCE THEY ARE SPREAD OVER A LARGE AREA OF LAND 
AND ARE DAILY BEING FACED BY ARMED ATTACKS THAT LEAD TO THE DEATH 
OF A NUMBER OF U.S. SOLDIERS AND INJURY OF HUNDREDS... DESPITE 
THE CLAIMS OF THE HARDNESS AND COMPLICATIONS OF THE EQUATION, ITS 
SOLUTION IS EASY IF THE ACTIVE WILL OF IRAQIS WAS AVAILABLE TO 
GET OUT OF THIS DILEMMA.  THE SOLUTION IS BASED ON THE WITHDRAWAL 
OF THE OCCUPATION FORCES AT THE SAME TIME AS FOREIGN AND ARAB 
FORCES TAKE THEIR PLACE, WHICH WILL LEAD TO SPREADING SELF- 
CONFIDENCE WITHIN THE IRAQI PEOPLE..." 
 
4.  DESCRIBING THE REASONS BEHIND PRIME MINISTER SHARON'S NEW 
ATTITUDE REGARDING THE EXPULSION OF PRESIDENT ARAFAT, DUBAI-BASED 
BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 10/19: 
 
"... THIS NEW 'SHARONI' ATTITUDE MEANS THAT THE ZIONIST PRIME 
MINISTER AGREED TO THE U.S. ATTITUDE THAT REJECTS EXPELLING 
ARAFAT, AND THIS REJECTION IS NOT OUT OF LOVE FOR THE PRESIDENT 
OF THE PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT BUT BECAUSE EXPELLING HIM WILL 
ALLOW HIM FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT... THIS IS NOT ALL, THE SLAUGHTERER 
SHARON IS LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE TO PIN ON HIS FAILURE OF 
DESTROYING THE PALESTINIAN ENTIFADA, AN EXCUSE IN FRONT OF THE 
JEWISH COMMUNITY AND THE PUBLIC OPINION.  THIS EXCUSE IS THAT 
ARAFAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT THIS SLAUGHTERER CALLS PALESTINIAN 
TERRORISM..." 
 
WAHBA