US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI4761

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 004761 
 
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 DETERIORATING SECURITY SITUATION IN IRAQ AND 
THE SITUATION IN THE WEST BANK DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE PRINT 
AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA.  EDITORIALS IN BOTH "AL KHALEEJ" AND 
"AKHBAR AL ARAB" NOTED THAT THE PALESTINIANS WOULD BECOME 
IMPRISONED BECAUSE OF THE SECOND FENCE SHARON IS PLANNING TO 
BUILD.  ANOTHER EDITORIAL IN "AL ITTIHAD" NOTED THE DIFFICULTIES 
OF ACHIEVING SECURITY AND STABILITY IN IRAQ.  ANOTHER EDITORIAL 
IN "AL KHALEEJ" STATED THAT THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION IN IRAQ IS 
THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SOLUTION.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE WORLD IS IN COMA," 
DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 10/27: 
 
"... WHAT HAPPENED IN GAZA YESTERDAY WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST WAR 
CRIMES.  WHAT HAPPENED WAS NOT NEW FOR THE PROFESSIONALS IN 
KILLING AND BLOODSHED.  THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THESE PEOPLE DIED 
SINCE DAIR YASEEN AND KOFOR QASEM, WHEN THEY COMMITTED THEIR 
MASSACRES... WE ARE WONDERING, DID THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE 
ZIONISTS DIE..WELL, THEN WHERE IS THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE WORLD 
REGARDING WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR BROTHERS IN PRECIOUS 
PALESTINE?... IT IS TIME FOR US TO WAKE UP TO SAVE WHAT WE CAN IN 
PALESTINE, WHERE THE SLAUGHTERER SHARON VIOLATED ITS (PALESTINE) 
BLOOD, LANDS, AND HOLY PLACES." 
 
3.  COMMENTING ON THE DETERIORATING SECURITY SITUATION IN IRAQ, 
ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED 10/27: 
 
"... THE DETERIORATING SECURITY SITUATION IN IRAQ IS VERY 
WORRYING, IT EMPHASIZES THAT THE ROAD TO ACHIEVING SECURITY AND 
STABILITY IS STILL FACING DIFFICULTIES... ANY DELAY OR SLOWNESS 
IN REBUILDING IRAQ WITH ALL ITS SECURITY, POLITICAL, ECONOMICAL, 
AND SOCIAL ASPECTS, WILL LEAD TO A CRISIS THAT NO ONE EXCEPT GOD 
KNOWS WHERE IT WILL REACH..." 
 
4.  NOTING THAT THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION OF IRAQ IS THE PROBLEM 
AND NOT THE SOLUTION, SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" 
EDITORIALIZED 10/27: 
 
"THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION OF IRAQ IS THE PROBLEM NOT THE SOLUTION 
WAS WHAT DR. EVO DALDAR, A RESEARCHER IN BROOKINGS INSTITUTE, 
SAID IN HIS INTERVIEW WITH 'AL KHALEEJ' YESTERDAY... THE 
INTERESTS OF IRAQ AND IRAQIS AND ALL ARABS IS NOT IN THE AMERICAN 
AGENDA, ESPECIALLY WITH THIS CURRENT ADMINISTRATION..." 
 
5.  COMMENTING ON THE OTHER FENCE THAT SHARON IS PLANNING TO 
BUILD, ABU DHABI-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AKHBAR AL ARAB" 
EDITORIALIZED 10/26: 
 
"... THE GOAL BEHIND BUILDING THIS FENCE IS CLEAR AND SURE AND IS 
SIMILAR TO THE FIRST FENCE, WHICH IS GOBBLING UP THE BIGGEST 
AMOUNT POSSIBLE OF THE PALESTINIAN LANDS, IN ADDITION TO 
ENCIRCLING THE PALESTINIANS IN THE WEST BANK, THAT WILL REALLY 
BECOME A BIG PRISON..." 
 
6.  NOTING THAT THE PALESTINIANS WILL BECOME IMPRISONED BECAUSE 
OF THE NEW FENCE SHARON IS PLANNING TO BUILD, "AL KHALEEJ" 
EDITORIALIZED 10/26: 
 
"... WHOEVER LOOKS AT THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE WEST BANK AND AT THE 
TWO EAST AND WEST FENCES REALIZES THAT THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE 
WILL BECOME IMPRISONED AND THE WEST BANK WILL BECOME THE BIGGEST 
PRISON IN HISTORY..." 
 
7.  OTHERS:  "AL ITTIHAD" CARRIED OUT A REPRINT OF SECRETARY OF 
DEFENSE RONALD RUMSFELD'S OP-ED THAT WAS PUBLISHED IN LOS ANGELES 
TIMES AND WASHINGTON POST.  THIS OP-ED MARKED THE 20TH 
ANNIVERSARY OF THE TERRORIST ATTACKS ON U.S. MARINES IN LEBANON. 
 
ALBRIGHT