US embassy cable - 03AMMAN7887

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 007887 
 
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: MEDIA REACTION ON THE GENEVA DOCUMENT, MIDDLE 
EAST AND IRAQ 
 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- The lead story in all papers today, December 4, 
focuses on King Abdullah's expected summit meeting 
with President Bush today in Washington, D.C.  Other 
stories and some commentaries continue to highlight 
the aftermath to the Palestinian-Israeli Geneva 
Document, including Secretary of State Powell's 
decision to meet with the makers of the Document. 
 
        Editorial Commentary on the Middle East 
 
-- "Meetings remain futile unless the Americans alter 
their stance" 
 
Former Minister of Information and current Member of 
the Upper House of Parliament Saleh Qallab writes on 
the back page of semi-official, influential Arabic 
daily Al-Rai (12/04):  "From Geneva to London to 
Madrid to Amman, the peace process rises up from a 
long sleep interrupted by horrible nightmares and much 
bloodshed.  The Americans, during the past three 
years, have taken the side of Sharon's policy, as a 
conspirator would, and left the violence to take its 
toll on the holy land, continuing to try to impose the 
Israeli will, the will of the right-wing, on the 
Palestinian people, and holding the leadership of that 
people responsible for the collapse of the peace 
process..  If the Americans really want the peace 
process to restart, they must exercise genuine 
pressure on the Israeli Prime Minister..  All these 
meetings and conference will remain mere jumps in the 
air unless the Americans decide to turn to Sharon and 
make him understand that there are requirements that 
Israel will have to fulfill in order for the talk 
about establishing peace to become viable..  What is 
the use of these conferences, initiatives and meetings 
if Sharon continues to insist on building the racist 
separation wall, if Israel does not abandon its 
settlement policy, and if assassinations do not stop.? 
The Americans continue to wonder about the reasons and 
causes for all this fundamentalist-violence that is 
striking the region and the world in the name of 
Islam.  But they also continue to close their ears and 
shut their eyes to the facts that are before them, 
namely that the roots of this violence stem from 
Israel's occupation of the Arab lands and Muslim holy 
sites, and from the U.S. adoption of the most 
extremist and right-wing of Israeli policies.  The 
Americans must realize that matters will move from bad 
to worse if Israel continues to behave as it is doing, 
and if the United States continues to run around in 
the same old vicious circle of adopting Sharon's 
destructive Likud stands and policies." 
 
-- "Our misery in Geneva" 
 
Daily columnist Basem Sakijha writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(12/04):  "Neither Yaser Abed Rabbo nor any other 
Palestinian official or non-official has the right to 
give the right of any single Palestinian to 
Palestine..  A ceremony in Geneva, during which poems 
for the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish are recited 
and Israeli and Palestinian girls dance, can never be 
the concluding chapter in the long historical march of 
injustice and darkness.  We are not talking about a 
movie where the turn of events is decided according to 
the viewpoint of a director.  We are talking about a 
long history of bloodshed and destruction, about a 
land that was and still is occupied, and about a 
people who were and still are homeless..  How can a 
Palestinian wipe away the history of his people with a 
mere pen or with a black signature on forgiveness 
papers for the killer." 
 
 
             Editorial Commentary on Iraq 
 
-- "Freedom Bush-style" 
Chief Editor Taher Udwan writes on the back-page of 
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm 
(12/04):  "The problem with the ideological aspect of 
Bush's war on terrorism is that the right-wing 
American administration launches great big mottos, 
such as freedom and democracy, but exercises the 
complete opposite on the ground.  The people of this 
region watch the actual actions of the Americans, 
raising question marks about the content of the 
freedom and the democracy that they are suggesting.. 
What is happening in Iraq is a new religion that suits 
the imperialistic view of the cradle of civilizations 
and religions.  It is a brainwashing process for the 
human mind in order to bring about blessing for the 
occupation and for the destructions and killings done 
in the name of freedom.  As for resistance operations, 
they are described as terrorist, criminal and bestial! 
Every time a killing happens against troops that are 
supporting the American army in the occupation of 
Iraq, we hear capital like Tokyo, Madrid, Rome and 
Seoul saying `we will not succumb to terrorism and we 
will support our presence in Iraq'.  So `occupation' 
has become an ethical mission worthy of pride and 
support, which suggests that we, as people of Third 
World countries, will have to glorify freedom Bush- 
style.  In reality, we, as Arabs, are experiencing a 
foreign military, political and cultural invasion.  We 
must combat it by glorifying the resistance.  We must 
bravely stand up to the campaign of terror and 
misleading that wants to crush our minds and our 
spirits as human beings." 
 
HALE