US embassy cable - 04AMMAN5935

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005935 
 
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 MIDDLE EAST AND IRAQ 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- Papers published today, July 15, focus on 
developments in the Palestinian Territories and in 
Iraq.  Major stories highlight the Palestinian 
National Authority's "angry" reaction to the U.N. 
special envoy Larsen, who blamed the Palestinian 
leadership - and Yasir Arafat, personally -- for the 
"chaotic" situation in the Territories.  All papers 
feature report on the (UK) Butler report about the use 
of intelligence in the war in Iraq. 
 
          Editorial Commentary on Middle East 
 
-- "Work and courage, not blame" 
 
Centrist, influential among the elite English daily 
Jordan Times (07/15) editorializes:  "U.N. Middle East 
envoy Terje Roed-Larsen has presented the Security 
Council with a damning report about conditions in the 
Palestinian territories..  In his report, Roed-Larsen 
described conditions in the Palestinian territories as 
chaotic and on the brink of disaster.  Worse, the 
envoy seemed to put the blame squarely on the 
Palestinian leadership when he accused Arafat of 
lacking the political will to realize any meaningful 
political reforms..  To put it mildly, these charges 
are serious.  They attribute the terrible turn of 
events in the Palestinian lands primarily to the PNA. 
While conceding that the PNA is responsible in part 
for the slow pace of economic and political reforms in 
the Palestinian territories, it is simply unrealistic, 
if not irresponsible, to place all the blame for the 
rapid deterioration in the living conditions in the 
territories on the Palestinian side.  The Israeli 
side, especially under the rule of the Likud Party and 
its leader, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, has 
contributed as much, if not more, to the "chaotic" 
situation in the Palestinian territories.  Although 
the Palestinians can do little about the Israeli 
faults, the certainly can do a great deal about their 
own shortcomings.  There is a lot that the PNA can do 
to improve the political, economic and security 
conditions even under present conditions..  While Roed- 
Larsen's statement to the Security Council was met 
with condemnation from the Palestinians and applause 
from the Israelis, it would seem that his message, at 
least for the moment, was lost on both.  If the two 
sides are ever to realize peace between them, there is 
a lot of work to be done and lot of courage to be 
mustered." 
 
             Editorial Commentary on Iraq 
 
-- "How did they make the quagmire? 
 
Daily columnist Jamil Nimri writes on the back-page of 
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm 
(07/15):  "The Butler report did not accuse Blair of 
ill intentions or misleading the British people, but 
it clearly and completely showed that the war was 
based on false foundations.  There was not any serious 
information indicating that Iraq owned or developed 
weapons of mass destruction..  The British report 
complements the American report in putting an end to 
the argument about justification for war.  The war was 
launched on the basis of lies, deceit and 
misinformation, and there is no other incident in the 
history of those two countries (the US and UK) that 
has so debased their democracies as this one did.  A 
rabid, fabricated campaign was created from A to Z to 
unjustifiably launch a war.  Who holds Bush and Blair 
accountable for the costs of this war, both material 
and human?  It won't be the United Nations or any 
other international organization ruled by the same 
powers that allow Israel to brutalize an unarmed 
people and to prolong occupation for decades without 
any denunciation.  Only the British and American 
peoples can punish these leaders in the next 
elections.  Now we can understand why matters in Iraq 
took this disastrous turn.  An action of such 
immorality cannot yield moral results in war, either 
during its course or in the post-war era..  A false 
start for a false path.  A noble and moral action, 
such as claiming to save the Iraqi people from 
dictatorship, cannot be achieved by way of lies, 
deception and misinformation." 
HALE