US embassy cable - 04AMMAN1991

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001991 
 
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 SPAIN'S BOMBINGS 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- Lead story in all papers today, March 16, is the 
result of the Spanish elections and the victory of 
Zapatero.  All reports focus on Zapatero's position on 
the situation in Iraq and his remarks that he will 
withdraw troops from Iraq.  One headline views the 
elections as a "political coup" and another views the 
new Prime Minister as "turning his back to the United 
States". 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "The fall of Aznar" 
 
Chief editor Taher Udwan writes on the back page of 
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm 
(03/16):  "The results of the elections in Spain truly 
constitutes a coup d'etat, as one commentator said. 
One of the personalities of the war on Iraq is now out 
of the game, which only leaves Blair and Bush, who may 
face the same fate, especially the U.S. president 
since he faces the presidential elections next fall.. 
Election competitions in countries like the United 
States, Britain, Spain and Italy are no longer 
sideline issues for the people of the region.  They 
are domestic-related issues, because any change 
towards weakening the war camp is a win for the 
security and stability of the Middle East..  The Bush- 
Aznar-Blair camp used lies not only with regard to 
Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, but also with 
regard to the rebuilding of Iraq as a justification 
for continuing the occupation of that country..  This 
camp came to the region not to strengthen stability 
there, but to `alter' this stability and change it 
into chaos, conflicts and wars.  This camp does not 
have a program for peace, neither in Palestine nor in 
Iraq and the Gulf, but rather seeks, with all its 
military, political and economic might, to change the 
Middle East into a new arena for hot and cold wars.. 
We hope that the `change' will first affect the ranks 
of this camp and that we would see more defeats for 
those extremists, who excel in telling lies as much as 
they excel in launching wards.  Such a change would be 
happy event(s) for a Middle East that looks to genuine 
peace and security." 
 
-- "This disaster too?" 
 
Daily columnist Jamil Nimri writes on the back page of 
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm 
(03/16):  "That's all we need: for this terrifying 
criminal act [Spain's bombings] to be linked with the 
world of Arabs and Islam, to inflict horrible harm and 
pain to a wonderful country and noble people, millions 
of whom took to the streets to protest the war on 
Iraq..  We could have done without this disaster with 
the European nation, a longed-for factor of balance 
against the American completely-pro Israeli monopoly." 
 
-- "Spain and Iraq" 
 
Columnist Basem Sakijha writes on the op-ed page of 
center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(03/16):  "The socialists' achievement of the ruling 
power in Spain seems to be more of a coup than natural 
development.  Analysts differ about the significance 
of the Madrid bombings in attaining this result, but 
everyone agrees that the Iraqi factor was the one 
factor that pushed the Spanish people to vote against 
Aznar's party..  The results of the Spanish elections 
say a great deal, most importantly is that the human 
conscience cannot remain in permanent slumber.  We 
hope that the same will apply to the American 
elections." 
 
-- "The Spanish coup: does terrorism achieve political 
results?" 
 
Columnist Bater Wardam writes on the op-ed page of 
center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(03/16):  "Although many opponents of Aznar's 
government, including us Arabs and Muslims who were 
displeased with that government's support for the 
American aggressive war, are going to be happy with 
the results of the elections, the consequence is going 
to be disastrous for Arabs and Muslims in Europe.  It 
is almost certain now that responsibility for the ugly 
crime in Madrid points to Al-Qa'eda and non-specific 
fundamentalist-extremist organizations..  The outcome 
of proving the responsibility of Islamic 
fundamentalists for the crime is going to mean 
complete and radical changes for the lives of millions 
of Arabs and Muslims living in Europe and is going to 
add another defamation for the reputation of Islam. 
The most dangerous consequence of such proof would be 
the link between the crime, the role of the Spanish 
government in Iraq, and the results of the elections. 
This entails a very serious political message: 
terrorism can actually achieve beneficial political 
objectives..  The crime is a crime and cannot be 
justified by political results.  It is silly and 
immoral for some to claim that the Madrid crime may 
have been beneficial because it contributed to ousting 
Aznar and changing the Spanish government.  Killing 
200 innocent people can never be an acceptable means 
for achieving political objectives.  If some Arabs 
believe that killing innocent people is justifiable as 
vengeance against politicians and governments who have 
adopted policies unacceptable to Arabs, then that is a 
horrible moral downfall." 
GNEHM