US embassy cable - 03AMMAN7339

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 007339 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR, 
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN 
USAID/ANE/MEA 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KMDR JO 
SUBJECT: AMMAN, MEDIA REACTION ON REACTIONS TO THE 
PRESIDENT'S SPEECH, RIYADH BOMBINGS 
 
 
SUMMARY 
 
TWO MAIN THEMES DOMINATED THE JORDANIAN MEDIA BETWEEN 
FRIDAY 7 AND MONDAY 10:  THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH 
CALLING FOR DEMOCRATIC REFORMS, AND THE RIYADH 
BOMBINGS. 
REACTIONS TO THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH REFLECTED THE 
FOLLOWING POINTS: 
MISTRUST IN THE PRESIDENT'S SINCERITY IN WANTING 
DEMOCRACY IN ARAB COUNTRIES 
DISMISSIVENESS OF HIS PRAISE FOR JORDAN, AND WARNINGS 
TO THE JORDANIAN LEADERSHIP TO REMEMBER THE FATE OF 
OTHER CAPITALS IN THE REGION THAT BANKED ON THEIR 
STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH WASHINGTON. 
CRITICISM FOR FAILING TO "MAKE A SINGLE REFERENCE TO 
SHARON'S CRIMES IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES." 
REGARDING THE BOMBINGS IN SAUDI ARABIA, COMMENTATORS 
WERE ROUNDLY CRITICAL OF THE ATTACK ON CIVILIANS, TO 
THE POINT WHERE THEY COMPARED THE PERPETRATORS TO 
ARIEL SHARON. 
 
BELOW ARE SAMPLE COMMENTARIES: 
 
-- ATTACKING RIYADH USING SHARON'S METHODS 
INFLUENTIAL DAILY COLUMNIST MAHMOUD AL-RIMAWI WROTE IN 
SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON 
NOVEMBER 10: "IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN RIGHTLY SAID THAT 
EXTREMISTS ARE ALLIES, EVEN IF THEIR AIMS ARE 
DIFFERENT.  THE HORRIFYING EVENTS IN RIYADH COME AS AN 
ECHO TO THE SUPPORTS THAT THE NEO-CONSERVATIVES IN 
WASHINGTON GIVE TO ISRAELI BARBARISM. IN BOTH CASES 
CIVILIANS ARE ATTACKED, IN THE NAME OF RELIGION AND IN 
THE NAME OF SPREADING DEMOCRACY.  EITHER WAY THE ACTS 
ARE GUIDED BY BLIND FANATICISM AND LACK OF RESPECT FOR 
HUMAN LIFE, EVEN THOUGH SHARON IS MORE BLATANT IN 
IMPLEMENTING HIS POLICY OF ETHNIC CLEANSING WITH TOTAL 
AMERICAN SUPPORT, WHICH THE U.S. GIVES WITHOUT SHAME." 
 
 
-- BUSH THE PREACHER 
TAHER AL-ADWAN, CHIEF EDITOR OF INDEPENDENT, MASS- 
APPEAL ARABIC DAILY AL-ARAB AL-YAWM WROTE ON SATURDAY 
8: "BUSH'S PRAISE OF DEMOCRACY IN JORDAN MEANS 
NOTHING, BECAUSE IT ONLY PUTS US IN THE COMPANY OF A 
NUMBER OF STATES WHOM HE PRAISED, EVEN THOUGH 
DEMOCRATIC REFORMS IN THEM HAVE YET TO START. THIS 
PRAISE CANNOT COVER THE TRUTH OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN 
IRAQ, SUCH AS THE DESTRUCTION THE ARRESTS, AND THE 
TERRORIZATION OF FAMILIES IN THEIR BEDROOMS. 
DEMOCRACY BASED ON THE MODEL OF THE U.S. IN IRAQ OR 
ZIONISM IN PALESTINE IS NOTHING BUT CORRUPT GOODS THAT 
WILL NOT FIND ANY TAKERS.  IN FACT IT IS AN INSULT TO 
EVERY ARAB." 
 
-- BUSH'S SPEECH ON DEMOCRACY 
PROMINENT DAILY COMMENTATOR FAHED AL-FANEK WROTE IN 
SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON 
NOVEMBER 9: "BUSH'S SPEECH OUTLINES A POLITICAL 
PROGRAM, AND THE FACT THAT HE PUTS SYRIA IN THE SAME 
CATEGORY AS PRE-WAR IRAQ IS NOT COMFORTING.  BUT THE 
QUESTION IS, DOES THE U.S. MEAN WHAT IT SAYS, OR IS 
THIS A MEANS OF APPLYING -PRESSURE ON ARAB RULERS TO 
COLLABORATE FURTHER WITH THE OCCUPATION AGAINST THE 
WISHES OF THEIR PEOPLES?   THE U.S. KNOWS WELL THAT 
THESE COUNTRIES WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SUPPORT IT 
IN ITS OCCUPATION OF IRAQ HAD THEY BEEN DEMOCRATIC." 
 
-- JORDAN IN THE REVISIONIST SPEECH 
LEADING COMMENTATOR URAIB AL-RANTAWI WROTE IN CENTER- 
LEFT, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON NOVEMBER 
9: "I CANNOT IMAGINE WHY BUSH REFERRED TO JORDAN'S 
RECENT PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS AS HISTORIC.  IF THEY 
PRODUCED RESULTS THAT THE U.S. SEES AS HISTORIC, HOW 
COME WE DO NOT SEE THAT? . NO ONE SHOULD BE COMFORTED 
BY BUSH'S PRAISE, PARTLY BECAUSE WE STILL NEED 
POLITICAL REFORMS.  FOR INSTANCE, THE U.S. SHOULD 
RESPECT US MORE IF WE WERE TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO 
DEMONSTRATE DENOUNCING U.S. POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST 
THAN IF WE WERE TO REPRESS THE PEOPLE AND PREVENT 
THEIR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.  MOREOVER, THIS 
TRANSITIONAL SATISFACTION WITH JORDAN WILL NEVER BE 
PERMANENT, AND WE CAN LEARN THE LESSON FROM THE 
`STRATEGIC ALLIANCES' THAT MANY CAPITALS IN THE REGION 
HAD WITH WASHINGTON, AND WHAT HAS BECOME OF THESE 
ALLIANCES." 
 
-- CREDIBILITY THAT IS COLLAPSING ON HOT SAND 
LIBERAL DAILY COLUMNIST JAMIL AL-NIMRI WROTE IN 
INDEPENDENT, MASS-APPEAL ARABIC DAILY AL-ARAB AL-YAWM 
ON SUNDAY 9: "WHAT CREDIBILITY DOES BUSH HAVE WHEN HE 
PURSUES AN INSANE POLICY THAT SURPRISES ALL OBSERVERS, 
AND THAT HAS PUT THE U.S. IN AN UNPRECEDENTED 
POSITION, WHERE ALL PEOPLE OF THE WORLD VIEW ITS 
POLICY WITH DISAPPROVAL, EVEN DISDAIN. WHAT 
CREDIBILITY DOES BUSH HAVE WHEN HE SAYS NOT A WORD 
ABOUT SHARON'S CRIMES IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES?" 
GNEHM