US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI4903

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 004903 
 
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:  PRESIDENT BUSH'S SPEECH 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH'S SPEECH COMMEMORATING THE 
20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY IN 
WASHINGTON NOVEMBER 6 DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE PRINT AND 
ELECTRONIC MEDIA.  EDITORIALS IN ALL LOCAL NEWSPAPERS BASHED THE 
PRESIDENT'S SPEECH.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  NOTING THAT PRESIDENT BUSH'S SPEECH GIVES RISE TO SKEPTICISM, 
SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 11/08: 
 
"... THE SPEECH, WITH ALL OF ITS TALK ABOUT WAR, REFORM, AND 
DEMOCRACY, IN ADDITION TO HIM (PRESIDENT BUSH) POINTING OUT THAT 
ISLAM DOES NOT CONFLICT WITH DEMOCRACY, IS AN ATTEMPT FROM HIS 
SIDE TO AVOID ANY FALSE ACCUSATION OF THE ISLAMIC RELIGION, AS 
MANY OFFICIALS OF HIS ADMINISTRATION HAVE DONE ON SEVERAL 
OCCASIONS..  THIS SPEECH, ALTHOUGH IT IS TRYING TO SHOW AMERICAN 
CONCERN TOWARDS COUNTRIES AND PEOPLE OF THE REGION WHO ARE TRYING 
TO GAIN FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY, BUT COMING FROM HIM (PRESIDENT 
BUSH) IN PARTICULAR, GIVES RISE TO SKEPTICISM..." 
 
3.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "NO DEMOCRACY DURING OCCUPATION," ABU 
DHABI-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AKHBAR AL ARAB" EDITORIALIZED 11/08: 
 
"... IN THE END, THE EXISTENCE OF AN ISRAELI COUNTRY IN THE HEART 
OF THE ARAB REGION, WITH ITS HOSTILE CHARACTERISTICS, FORMS A BIG 
OBSTRUCTION TO THE ARAB COUNTRIES TRYING TO ARRANGE THEIR 
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS AND START DOWN THE PATH OF POLITICAL AND 
DEMOCRATIC REFORM..." 
 
4.  NOTING THAT PRESIDENT BUSH'S SPEECH REVEALS THE CRISES THE 
COUNTRIES OF THE REGION ARE FACING, ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI- 
GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED 11/08: 
 
"... THE SOURCE OF THE CRISIS IS NOT ONLY THE POLITICAL FAILURES, 
THE ECONOMICAL UNDERDEVELOPMENT, AND THE MILITARY FRAGILITY, BUT 
ALSO BASICALLY THE HISTORICAL INJUSTICE WHICH WAS COMMITTED BY 
THE WEST TOWARDS THESE PEOPLE (PEOPLE OF THE ARAB REGION), 
ESPECIALLY THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE, WHO HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH 
THE WORSE INHUMANE ATTACKS KNOWN IN MODERN HISTORY.  SOME OF US 
MIGHT CONDEMN THE U.S.'S INTERFERENCE IN THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF 
FREE COUNTRIES, AND SOME MIGHT AGREE WITH THIS INTERFERENCE, BUT 
THE TRUTH IS THAT THERE IS A CRISIS THAT IS COMPOSED OF SMALLER 
CRISES, WHICH HAS MADE THE REGION A SOURCE OF GREAT DANGER... 
THIS DANGER IS WELL KNOWN, BUT SOME WESTERN GOVERNMENTS INSIST ON 
IGNORING IT...  IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT ISRAEL AND NO ONE ELSE IS A 
DANGER THAT THREATENS WORLD PEACE AND WILL HINDER ALL PLANS OF 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PEOPLE OF THE REGION, WHICH LEAVES THEM POOR, 
DEPRIVED, UNDERDEVELOPED, AND PRONE TO EXTREMISM..." 
 
5.  COMMENTING THAT PRESIDENT BUSH'S SPEECH IGNORED ISRAELI 
TERRORISM, DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 
10/27: 
 
"... THE U.S. PRESIDENT'S REQUEST TO SPREAD DEMOCRACY DID NOT 
MENTION THE TRUE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CRISIS IN OUR REGION, 
WHICH IS DISTRESSED BY THE EXISTENCE OF THE LAST OCCUPATIONAL 
ENTITY ON THE WORLD'S MAP, AND WHICH IS PROTECTED BY THE U.S. 
..." 
 
6.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "THE FREEDOM OF DESTRUCTION AND THE 
DEMOCRACY OF OCCUPATION," "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 11/07: 
 
"THE AMERICAN-ZIONIST GAME IS AS CLEAR AS THE SUN IN THE MIDDLE 
OF THE DAY.  BY DROWNING THE ARAB REGION WITH TALKS OF DEMOCRACY, 
TERRORISM, AND DICTATORSHIP, THE SPEECH ATTEMPTS TO GUARANTEE 
STOPPING THE FOCUS ON ZIONIST MASSACRES IN OCCUPIED PALESTINE AND 
THE NEED TO STOP THEM, THE ZIONIST OCCUPATION AND THE NEED TO END 
IT, AND THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ AND THE NEED TO PUT AN END TO 
IT... THE AMERICAN DESTRUCTIVE-OCCUPATION IN THE ARAB REGION HAS 
CAUSED A CRISIS.  GEORGE BUSH SAYS THAT HIS COUNTRY IS SUPPOSED 
TO CONCENTRATE ON ITS LONG-TERM POLICY IN THE REGION, WHICH MEANS 
THAT THE AMERICANS ARE PLANNING ON A LONG OCCUPATION..." 
 
WAHBA