US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI330

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000330 
 
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 AND MOC 
PARIS FOR ZEYA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, TC 
SUBJECT:  MEDIA REACTION:  PRESIDENT BUSH'S INAUGURATION 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  LOCAL AND REGIONAL MEDIA COVERED PRESIDENT BUSH'S 
INAUGURATION EXTENSIVELY AND EXCERPTS FROM HIS SPEECH WERE 
CARRIED IN ALL LOCAL NEWSPAPERS.  AL ARABIYAH AND AL JAZEERA 
BROADCAST THE INAUGURATION LIVE WITH SIMULTANEOUS ARABIC 
TRANSLATION, ABU DHABI TV AND DUBAI TV ALSO REPORTED THE SPEECH. 
EDITORIALS IN THE ARABIC PRESS WERE CRITICAL OF THE SPEECH.  "AL 
KHALEEJ" EDITORIAL NOTED THAT PRESIDENT BUSH STILL HAS WAR ON HIS 
AGENDA FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS.  AN EDITORIAL IN "AL BAYAN" 
POINTED OUT THAT THE FREEDOM THAT PRESIDENT BUSH PROMISED IN HIS 
SPEECH IS ONLY A PROMISE THAT HE WILL USE MORE POWER TO ACHIEVE 
HIS GOALS.  EDITORIAL IN "AL ITTIHAD" COMMENTED ON PRESIDENT 
BUSH'S SPEECH IN A VERY POSITIVE ATTITUDE, NOTING THAT THIS 
COMING PERIOD IS A NEW BEGINNING FOR THE ARAB - AMERICAN 
RELATIONSHIP.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. UNDER THE HEADLINE "WAR ON TYRANNY," "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 
01/22: (ARABIC DAILY, DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED, CIRCULATION 
40,000) 
 
". THIS NEW SLOGAN IS VERY BROAD BECAUSE IT GIVES THE AMERICAN 
ADMINISTRATION MANY OPTIONS, STARTING WITH POLITICAL AND 
DIPLOMATIC PRESSURES AND ENDING WITH MILITARY ACTIONS; THIS MAY 
CONCLUDE WITH MANY DANGEROUS RESULTS THAT CAN'T BE PREDICTED. 
PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, PARTICULARLY PEOPLE OF THIS REGION, WOULD 
LIKE TO SEE A NEW AMERICAN APPROACH THAT IS BASED ON REJECTING 
THE DOUBLE STANDARD, ESPECIALLY IN THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT.  WE 
REALLY THINK THAT THE U.S. SHOULD NOT WASTE ANOTHER 4 YEARS 
TRYING TO ANSWER THE QUESTION OF `WHY DO THEY HATE US?' AND 
SHOULD TRY TO PUT OUT THE FIRES THAT ARE SPREADING IN THE WORLD 
INSTEAD OF CAUSING WARS ON TYRANNY." 
 
3.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "THE PROMISED FREEDOM", "AL KHALEEJ" 
CRITICIZED PRESIDENT BUSH'S INAUGURAL SPEECH IN ITS EDITORIAL 
01/22: (ARABIC DAILY, SHARJAH-BASED, SEMI-OFFICIAL, CIRCULATION 
85,000) 
 
"  PRESIDENT BUSH'S INAUGURAL MISSIONARY SPEECH WAS FILLED WITH 
RELIGIOUS ADVICE AND WHOEVER HEARS THE SPEECH EXPECTS THAT THIS 
PRESIDENT IS SENT TO SPREAD FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY AND THROUGH HIS 
HANDS THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD WILL LIVE IN JUSTICE, SECURITY AND 
EQUALITY.  `FREEDOM' FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE REGION AND THE WORLD 
IS PRESIDENT BUSH'S ONLY AGENDA IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS (THIS IS 
WHAT A PERSON UNDERSTANDS FROM HIS SPEECH), BUT THIS FREEDOM, 
THAT HAS BEEN TRIED IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ, IS NOT THE FREEDOM 
THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD AND REGION ARE SEEKING.  BUSH WANTS 
DEMOCRACY, BUT IT IS THE DEMOCRACY THAT SERVES HIS GOAL OF 
DOMINATING THE WORLD BY AN AMERICAN EMPIRE, AND THIS DEMOCRACY 
HAS SPECIAL FEATURES THAT ARE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE FEATURES THAT 
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN USED TO SINCE THE FIRST GREEK DEMOCRACY.  WE 
SHOULD NOT FORGET TO MENTION THE AMERICAN ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE 
ISRAELI ATTACKS AGAINST JUSTICE, FREEDOM, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS.  WE 
SPEAK LOUDLY TO WARN AGAINST BELIEVING THE PROMISE OF FREEDOM BY 
PRESIDENT BUSH IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS; THIS IS A PROMISE OF USING 
POWER AGAINST ARAB RIGHTS AND SOVEREIGNTY AND MAYBE AGAINST THE 
LAST ARAB PERSON EXISTING." 
 
4.  POINTING OUT THAT PRESIDENT BUSH'S INAUGURAL SPEECH NOTES 
THAT HIS NEXT FOUR YEARS SHOULD BE A NEW BEGINNING IN THE ARAB - 
AMERICAN RELATIONSHIP, "AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED 01/21:  (ARABIC 
DAILY, ABU DHABI-BASED, SEMI-OFFICIAL, CIRCULATION 75,000) 
 
".WHAT IS CONFIRMED IS THAT U.S. FOREIGN POLICY OVER THE NEXT 
FOUR YEARS WILL WITNESS IMPORTANT POSITIVE CHANGES, AND THIS IS A 
RESULT OF NOT FACING ANY ELECTION PRESSURES THAT ANY U.S. 
ADMINISTRATION FACES IN ITS FIRST PRESIDENTIAL PERIOD, AND ALSO 
AS A RESULT OF THE EXPERIENCE GAINED FROM THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL 
PERIOD.  WHAT IS REQUESTED FROM US IS TO BENEFIT FROM ALL THIS, 
WHICH WILL NOT BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT TRUE WILL, HONEST COOPERATION, 
AND A REAL INTEREST BY CONCERNED ARAB COUNTRIES.  IT IS TIME NOW 
TO OPEN A NEW PAGE IN THE ARAB - AMERICAN RELATIONSHIP, BUT WHAT 
THIS PAGE INCLUDES DEPENDS ON WHAT WE(ARABS) GIVE TO OURSELVES 
FIRST." 
SISON