US embassy cable - 04ABUDHABI2520

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABU DHABI 002520 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, PGOV, OIIP, PREL, IZ, TC 
SUBJECT: DEPUTY COMMANDER URGES AL-ARABIYA MANAGEMENT TO 
MAKE IRAQ COVERAGE MORE BALANCED 
 
 
 1. (SBU) Summary: In a visit to Dubai's Media City on July 
19, General Lance Smith, Deputy Commander CENTCOM, told the 
new management team at Al Arabiya that the Arab satellite 
station put too much emphasis on violence and that he would 
like to see more even coverage on the situation in Iraq. 
Representatives from Al Arabiya insisted that the station's 
only agenda was to become the premier channel in the Middle 
East and that Al Arabiya had no desire to serve as a 
mouthpiece for terrorists.  They blamed Al Jazeera for 
sensationalist coverage of the violence in Iraq, which 
sometimes made Al Arabiya and other Arab stations, which 
tried to present a more balanced view, appear less credible 
to Arab audiences.  They pointed to a lack of access to USG 
officials as contributing to the unbalanced coverage, voiced 
their perception that US officials in Baghdad gave better 
access to Al Jazeera and urged CENTCOM to appoint an Arabic 
speaking spokesperson to get out the US point of view. 
End summary. 
 
 
2.  (SBU) On Monday, July 19, General Lance Smith, Deputy 
Commander CENTCOM, accompanied by Centcom staff officers, 
Charg d'Affaires, USLO BPAO, and FSN Information 
Specialist, visited Media City headquarters in Dubai, and 
later met with managers of Al Arabiya, also in Media City, 
followed by a broadcast interview with Al Arabiya.  At the 
first meeting, Mahmoud Fakhour, Commercial Operations 
Manager of Media City, and Ramy Jallad, Sales Manager of 
Media City, briefed the General on the Media City's success. 
General Smith next met with management at Al Arabiya: Nakhle 
Elhage, Director of News, Shafaat Khan, Business Manager, 
Fadi Ismail, General Manager, Muhammad Rashed, Asst. to the 
COO and Legal Counsel, and Abdul Rahman, Chief Operating 
Officer of the Middle East Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). 
The second meeting was followed by a 30-minute interview, 
broadcast July 19 on al Arabiya's "From Iraq" program. 
 
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Background: Media City Dubai 
---------------------------- 
 
 3. (SBU) Media City is part of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid's 
(MBR) strategic plan to attract 4 million new residents to 
Dubai by 2010, and to increase Dubai's economic independence 
from oil.  Media City was launched in January 2001, and now 
boasts over 1,890 companies, covering IT, education, media, 
and knowledge transfer.  By 2005, they are hoping for 2,000 
companies, employing 50,000 "talented workers."  MBR has 
five areas of focus: he wants Dubai to be an international 
center for technology, media, finance and business, tourism, 
and for health, leisure and entertainment.  Altogether, 
400,000 square meters of land have been covered in 3 years. 
They have allotted 10 times that area for future building on 
Sheikh Zayed road, and all of the plots have already been 
sold. 
 
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General Criticizes Biased Coverage 
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 4. (SBU) Speaking to a recently restructured management at 
Al Arabiya, General Smith outlined USG concerns with the 
station's coverage, saying that there was too much of an 
emphasis on violence, and that he would like to see both 
sides being reported.  He admitted that the military could 
be more forthcoming with information.  He explained that 
Central Command 2has restructured and put Public Affairs 
under the Chief of Staff.  This allows a broader view, and a 
greater ability to be responsive.  He stated that "anytime, 
you can talk to us; I'm always available." 
 
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Not a Mouthpiece for Bin Laden 
---------------------------------- 
 
5. (SBU) Al Arabiya management emphasized that they have no 
"agenda" aside from becoming the premier channel in the 
Middle East.  They said that they want Al Arabiya to be 
"accurate, timely, and responsible," with no desire to be 
the mouthpiece of Bin Laden.  Muhammed Rashed, Legal Counsel 
to the station, said that Bin Laden's followers "do not 
represent Arabs or Saudis; they are a bunch of terrorists 
with their own agenda."  They accused rival Al Jazeera of 
being sensationalist and of making Al Arabiya look like a 
sell-out if it doesn't go out of its way to report bad news. 
On the issue of airing tapes from Al Qaeda, they stated that 
they have in some cases refused to air tapes only to see 
another outlet such as Al Jazeera air them. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
No Access to USG; Need USG Arabic Spokesperson 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
6. (SBU) Al Arabiya said that they have trouble gaining 
access to important locations or information.  They cited a 
recent air strike in Fallujah and their inability to get USG 
information regarding the intent and the results of the air 
strike.  As a result, they were not able to broadcast the 
USG side of the story, and other, inaccurate reports 
remained unchallenged.  They also complained that they were 
not allowed access into the Saddam trial.  They claimed that 
Al Jazeera gets more scoops from the US military.  They 
noted that the lack of a USG Arabic-speaking spokesperson 
(in contrast to the British) is a problem and urged CENTCOM 
to appoint a spokesperson who could engage with the media in 
real time in Arabic. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
The US and the Arab World: Mutual Misperceptions 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
 
7. (SBU) All participants agreed that there were serious 
public misperceptions on both sides about the true nature of 
the respective societies.  Al Arabiya management said that 
they were "doing their part" to correct Arab stereotypes 
about America.  They noted that many in the region do not 
understand what America stands for.  In October, Al Arabiya 
will air a four-hour documentary using information from 
reporters sent to the US, in order to introduce it to people 
in the region.  Referring to the US, Mr. Rashed said, "Some 
like it; some hate it; few understand it."  He noted many 
activities under way to bridge the cultural gap, including 
an International Film Festival planned for December.  He 
suggested doing a documentary on US soldiers - their lives 
in Iraq and their attitudes toward Iraqis and their 
situation. 
 
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Comment 
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8. (SBU) Management at Al Arabiya went out of their way to 
blame competitor Al Jazeera for setting the bar so low on 
the portrayal of violence in Iraq.  Their claim that they 
are forced to use similar images to hold market share is one 
we can continue to debate, but it is not a practice we are 
likely to change absent intensive engagement with them to 
get out our story.  The request from Al Arabiya's new team 
for greater access to U.S. officials and readiness to 
broadcast their views is an open door that we should work to 
exploit.  After General Smith's departure, Al Arabiya's new 
chief suggested to Charg that given the rapid expansion of 
Arab media outlets in Dubai's Media City, the U.S. should 
consider posting to Dubai a press attach who could engage 
with the pan-Arab satellite stations on regional issues.  We 
note that CENTCOM is considering basing an Arab American 
civilian in Doha to do media outreach. 
 
Albright