US embassy cable - 04ABUDHABI1608

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001608 
 
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 ZEYA 
LONDON - PLEASE PASS TO MOC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, TC 
SUBJECT:  SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: THE SHADOW OF ABU GHRAIN ABUSES ON 
"AL-KHALLEJ" SEMINAR: "ARAB PRESS IN A CHANGING WORLD" 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  UAE'S LARGEST CIRCULATION, PAN-ARAB AND SHARJAH-BASED 
DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" SPONSORED A TWO-DAY SEMINAR ENTITLED "ARAB 
PRESS IN A CHANGING WORLD".  THE SEMINAR, WHICH WAS ATTENDED BY 
PROMINENT ARAB AND UAE MEDIA PERSONALITIES, AGREED THAT THE ARAB 
MEDIA IN GENERAL AND THE PRESS IN PARTICULAR IS FACING SERIOUS 
CHALLENGES, NAMELY THE ARAB LEADERS AND THE CENSORSHIP 
DEPARTMENTS IN EVERY ARAB COUNTRY.  SPEAKERS ALSO AGREED THAT 
ALTHOUGH ARAB CONSTITUTIONS MAINTAIN "THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH", 
YET, THEY ALL HAVE A CLAUSE THAT "THE RULER HAS THE RIGHT TO 
CHANGE THIS IF THERE IS A NEED".  INTERCULOTORS AND SPEAKERS ALSO 
NOTED THAT IN LIGHT OF WHAT HAPPENED IN ABU GHARIB, THE U.S. WILL 
NOT ELIGIBLE TO SPEARHEAD EFFORTS FOR REFORM AND HUMAN RIGHTS. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
2. UAE'S LARGEST CIRCULATION PAN ARAB AND SHARJAH-BASED DAILY "AL- 
ITTIHAD" ORGANIZED A TWO-DAY SEMINAR ENTITLED  "ARAB PRESS IN A 
CHANGING WORLD" MAY 11-12.  THE SEMINAR, WHICH WAS ATTENDED BY 
PROMINENT ARAB MEDIA PERSONALITIES, SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE 
OBSTACLES THAT ARE COUNTERING ARAB PRESS.  THE MINISTERS OF 
HIGHER EDUCATION AND INFORMATION, AND THE FORMER MINISTER OF 
INFORMATION ALSO ATTENDED.  DURING THE Q&A SESSION, A CONSENSUS 
EMERGED THAT THE ABUSES IN ABU GHARIB REPRESENTED A SIGNIFICANT 
BLACK MARK ON THE U.S.  THE IMAGES OF U.S. SOLDIERS HUMILIATING 
IRAQI PRISONERS NEGATE ANY LEADING ROLE OF THE U.S. IN AREAS SUCH 
AS HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY.  A UAE FORMER AMBASSADOR, AND 
CURRENTLY AN ADVISOR AT THE EMIRI COURT IN DUBAI, TOLD THE 
INFORMATION SPECIALIST THAT "THE PICTURES ARE REALLY TRAGIC 
SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY KILLED IN THE MINDS OF ARAB INTELLECTUALS ANY 
HOPE FOR HUMAN RIGHT RESPECT.  THE GOVERNMENTS HERE WILL 
EVENTUALLY USE THEM AGAINST THEIR OWN PEOPLE.  THEY COME AS 
INDIRECT RESPONSES TO FREQUENT ARAB CALLS FOR MORE ROOM FOR 
DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS." 
 
 
3. TALAL SALMAN, CHIEF EDITOR OF THE LEBANESE DAILY AL-SAFIR, 
DISCUSSED THE LEBANESE MEDIA ENVIRONMENT AND HOW THE CIVIL WAR 
AND FOREIGN INTERVENTIONS CAUSED THE DECLINE OF THE LEBANESE 
PRES. HE NOTED THAT THERE IS NO PRESS WITHOUT POLITICS BUT THE 
ARAB PRESS IS MOSTLY FOCUSED ON THE PUBLICITY OF THE RULERS AND 
NOT TO PROVIDE NEWS SERVICE TO THEIR READERS, WHICH EXPLAINS WHY 
SOME ARAB DAILIES BUY NEWS SERVICES ABOUT ARAB EVENTS PROVIDED BY 
FOREIGN NEWSPAPERS.  POLITICS IN ARAB COUNTRIES ARE SECRETS THAT 
ARE KNOWN ONLY BY THE RULERS, AND MANY RICH NEWSPAPERS PROVIDE 
INTERVIEW WITH FOREIGN FIGURES, MOSTLY AMERICANS, MORE THAN THEIR 
OWN LEADERS.  AS FOR THE FINANCING, GOVERNMENT NEWSPAPERS OFTEN 
DO NOT SUFFER ANY BUDGET RESTRAINTS, BUT THESE NEWSPAPERS DO NOT 
PRACTICE JOURNALISM WHICH EXPLAINS WHY THE PRESS OF THE FIFTIES 
WAS MORE INTERESTING THAN THOSE OF THE EIGHTIES AND THE NINETIES. 
 
 
4.  SALMAN CONCLUDED THAT "THERE IS NO DEMOCRACY WITH THE PRESENCE 
OF SECTARIANISM, RACISM, SALAFI RULE AND FOREIGN OCCUPATION, 
NOTING THAT LEBANESE JOURNALISM IS A DIRECT VICTIM OF THE ABSENCE 
OF DEMOCRACY IN THE ARAB WORLD. REGARDLESS OF ITS NEGATIVE AND 
POSITIVE ASPECTS, THE LEBANESE PRESS HAS PLAYED A LEADING ROLE 
AMONG THE ARABS DESPITE ALL OBSTACLES THAT OBSTRUCTED ITS 
EXPANSION AND DISTRIBUTION.  ITS OVERALL OBJECTIVE WAS POSITIVE 
AND HAS CONTRIBUTED IN SPREADING AWARENESS, BOOSTED DEMOCRATIC 
CULTURE AND REITERATED ARAB CITIZEN'S RIGHTS IN HIS OWN 
ENVIRONMENT AND COMBATING FOREIGN OCCUPATION." 
 
5.  DURING ANOTHER SESSION, SALAHEDDIN HAFZE, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF 
THE ARAB JOURNALISTS UNION AND EDITOR OF AL-AHRAM, DISCUSSED THE 
ISSUE OF FREEDOM IN THE ARAB PRESS.  HE FELT THAT ARAB PUBLIC IS 
SHOCKED AT THE SLOWNESS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF REAL DEMOCRATIC 
REFORM. THE ARAB REGIMES CONTINUE TO SWIM AGAINST THE GENERAL 
CURRENT OF REFORM WITH ONLY FEW EXCEPTIONS THAT COME, MOST 
LIKELY, IN RESPONSE TO FOREIGN PRESSURE. THE CURRENT OPPOSING 
FREEDOM USED THE 9/11 EVENTS TO STRENGTHEN ITS IRON GRIP OVER THE 
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS UNDER THE PRETEXT OF PREVENTING TERRORISTS. 
THIS IS ALSO WHAT AMERICA DID FOLLOWING 9/11 TO MONITOR THE FLOW 
OF INFORMATION, PHONES, ELECTRONIC MAIL AND OTHER RESTRICTIONS 
THAT CONTRADICT WITH CIVIL FREEDOMS. THAT EVENTUALLY MADE A 
MOCKERY OF AMERICAN CALLS FOR REFORM.  ANOTHER POINT HE MADE IS 
THAT THE ARAB PRESS MAKES A STEP FORWARD BUT IS FORCED TO MAKE 
FEW STEPS BACKWARD DUE TO DOMESTIC RESTRICTIONS. 
 
6.  JAMIL MATTAR, A SPEAKER AT THE CONFERENCE, NOTED THAT "AMERICA 
PUTS EXTREME PRESSURE ON THE ARAB COUNTRIES TO FACILITATE THE 
FREEDOM OF PRESS AND DEMOCRACY WHILE AT THE SAME TIME PRACTICES 
DEMOCRACY IN ITS WORST SHAPE, WHICH EVENTUALLY WORKS IN FAVOR OF 
THE ARAB GOVERNMENTS, NOT THE PEOPLE."  HE ADDED THAT 
"GLOBALIZATION DOES NOT REPRESENT A CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE ARAB 
WORLD AS MANY TRY TO PROMOTE.  IN FACT GLOBALIZATION IS A STAGE 
IN WORLD DEVELOPMENT THAT IS NOT DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS STAGES 
THAT FOLLOWED WORLD WAR I."  HE ADDED THAT THE INFORMATION 
REVOLUTION AND MODERN COMMUNICATION ARE ONLY SAMPLE OUTCOMES OF 
THE GLOBALIZATION THAT WOULD ENRICH ARAB PRESS."  OTHER 
PARTICIPANTS CALLED ON THE ARAB PRESS TO PLAY A HISTORICAL ROLE 
TO EMERGE IN THIS CLOUDY AND GLOOMY ENVIRONMENT.  A UAE PROFESSOR 
NOTED THAT "FRANKLY THE ARAB PRESS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FAULTY 
SITUATION IN THE ARAB WORLD". 
 
ALBRIGHT