US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI5438

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 005438 
 
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; NSC 
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: REBUILDING CONTRACTS IN IRAQ 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  UAE COLUMNIST ABDULLAH RASHEED WROTE IN ABU DHABI 
BASED SEMI-OFFICIAL ARABIC DAILY "AL-ITTIHAD" 12/29 THAT THE U.S. 
ENJOYS EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS IN THE REBUILDING CONTRACTS IN IRAQ.  HE 
NOTED THAT BECAUSE THE U.S. SACRIFICED ITS PEOPLE AND RESOURCES 
AND MANAGED TO RID IRAQ FROM THE BAATHIST REGIME, IT HAS FULL AND 
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS IN ALL REBUILDING CONTRACTS IN IRAQ.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "A VERY LOGICAL BANNING," UAE COLUMNIST 
ABDULLAH RASHEED WROTE IN AL-ITTIHAD 12/29: 
 
"IT IS NATURAL THAT THE U.S. WOULD BAN COUNTRIES THAT OPPOSED THE 
WAR AGAINST THE DICTATOR'S REGIME IN IRAQ FROM ANY REBUILDING 
CONTRACTS.  IT IS ALSO LOGICAL THAT THE AMERICAN COMPANIES WOULD 
HAVE THE LION'S SHARE OF THOSE CONTRACTS.  ARE NOT AMERICA AND 
THE UK THE TWO COUNTRIES THAT ADVENTURED THEIR SOLDIERS AND 
RESOURCES AND PROVIDED TENS OF THEIR CHILDREN TO EXPEL THE 
BAATHIST REGIME AND RID THE IRAQIS OF ITS SUPPRESSION?  IS IT 
LOGICAL THAT AMERICA AND BRITAIN PAY HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF 
DOLLARS AND LIVES OF THEIR CHILDREN AND THOSE WHO OPPOSED THEIR 
ACTION COME TO GET PART OF THE CAKE SO EASILY?" 
 
3.  "I WAS ASTONISHED BY MANY ANALYSTS, MILITARY EXPERTS AND EVEN 
ECONOMISTS WHO PROTESTED THE DECISION BY WASHINGTON TO BAN 
GERMAN, FRENCH AND EVEN ARAB COMPANIES FROM ANY REBUILDING 
CONTRACTS IN IRAQ.  NOT ONLY THIS, SOME EVEN DARED TO ASK FOR 
SOME OF THE CONTRACTS FOR ARAB COMPANIES IN COUNTRIES THAT 
OPPOSED THE WAR AGAINST SADDAM.  I DO NOT WANT TO GET INTO 
DETAILS, BUT ONLY TO ASK THOSE ANALYSTS HOW WOULD YOU REQUEST 
REBUILDING CONTRACTS FOR COUNTRIES THAT DEFENDED THE TYRANT'S 
REGIME?  WHAT KIND OF LOGIC AND PRINCIPLE IS THIS?" 
 
4.  "THOSE WHO BROUGHT THEIR FLEETS ARE AMERICANS AND BRITISH, 
WHO ALSO MOBILIZED THEIR FIGHTERS AND MISSILES TO TOPPLE SADDAM'S 
FORTRESSES.  THEY HAVE ENDANGERED THE LIVES OF THEIR CHILDREN AND 
EVEN LOST SOME OF THEM AND OTHER MILITARY EQUIPMENT IN THE 
BATTLEFIELD.  FOR GOD'S SAKE, AFTER ALL THESE LOSSES AND BILLIONS 
OF DOLLARS, HOW WOULD SOMEONE WHO STAYED IN HIS OWN HOUSE 
WATCHING THE WAR ON SATELLITE CHANNEL TO GET A SHARE THE 
REBUILDING WHAT THE BATH MAFIA DESTROYED?" 
 
5.  `WHEN THE SECOND WORLD WAR ENDED WITH JAPAN'S SURRENDER ON 
AUGUST 14, 1945. THE U.S. BEGAN REBUILDING JAPAN AND PLACED AN 
AMBITIOUS PLAN TOWARDS THIS END, BUT NO ONE OF THE JAPANESE OR 
THOSE WHO SUPPORTED THEM IN THE WAR AGAINST AMERICA DARED TO 
FORCE WASHINGTON TO INCLUDE THEM IN THE REBUILDING CONTRACTS. 
THE SAME THING HAPPENED WITH GERMANY ON AUGUST 7 OF THE SAME 
YEAR.  THE U.S., THEN, DRAFTED MARSHAL PLAN  TO REBUILD EUROPE 
FOR WHICH IT ALLOCATED 20 BILLION DOLLARS.  NO ONE DARED TO ASK 
THE U.S. TO INCLUDE NAZI COMPANIES OR COMPANIES THAT BELONGED TO 
COUNTRIES THAT FOUGHT THE WAR AGAINST THE U.S. IN REBUILDING 
EUROPE.  THE U.S. FOUGHT THE WAR AND SACRIFICED 292 THOUSAND OF 
ITS CHILDREN TO RID EUROPE AND THE WORLD FROM NAZISM AND 
THEREFORE, IT HAD THE RIGHT TO TAKE THE LION'S SHARE OF THE 
REBUILDING CONTRACTS ION EUROPE AND JAPAN, AND THAT WAS LOGICAL. 
THE SAME LOGIC REMAINS TRUE IN THE REBUILDING CONTRACTS IN IRAQ 
WHERE THE U.S. HAS EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS IN ALL CONTRACTS." 
 
 
WAHBA