US embassy cable - 05AMMAN1063

UNCLAS AMMAN 001063 
 
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 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KMDR JO 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON MIDDLE EAST 
 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- Lead story in all papers today, February 8, focuses 
on US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's meeting 
with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as 
reports anticipating the quadrilateral summit meeting 
scheduled for Tuesday in Sharm El-Sheikh. 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "Positive indication on the path towards a 
solution" 
 
Columnist Ali Safadi writes on the op-ed page of 
center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(02/08):  "The Sharm El-Sheikh summit represents an 
important step on the path towards revitalizing the 
peace process, leading to the establishment of an 
independent and viable Palestinian state..  The speed 
of political activities in the region and the rise of 
these positive indications constitute a good beginning 
for resuming the negotiations.  An extensive Arab 
effort in support of the Palestinian negotiators is 
now required.  The negotiations also require continued 
seriousness on the part of the U.S. administration and 
the quadrilateral parties to help achieve a settlement 
for the conflict and to pressure Israel to respond to 
the requirements of peace." 
 
-- "Sharm El-Sheikh summit is designed to handle the 
details" 
 
Chief Editor Taher Udwan writes on the back-page of 
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm 
(02/08):  "If the United States is required to cease 
its blind bias for Israel and to support the 
establishment of the Palestinian state, then what is 
required of Jordan and Egypt that are taking part in 
the Sharm El-Sheikh summit?  The Sharm El-Sheikh 
summit is expected to handle certain details (such as) 
formulating the Palestinian and Egyptian role for the 
time when Israel begins to implement its plan for 
withdrawal from Gaza.  There has always been talk of 
an Egyptian security role in Gaza as an alternative to 
Sharon's refusal to reach a security agreement with 
the Palestinians.  The requirement now is for the 
summit to give back to the Palestinians their role in 
handling security and political arrangements in Gaza 
after the withdrawal of the Israelis.  This is because 
security and peace (in the Palestinian areas) are 
Palestinian-Israeli issues and not Egyptian-Israeli 
issues.  As for the West Bank, talk about it seems to 
be postponed until after the withdrawal from Gaza. 
This is why any talk about a Jordanian security role 
in the West Bank would be premature.  Despite this, 
the Jordanian political role is no less important.. 
What distinguishes Sharm El-Sheikh summit from other 
summits is the fact that the policy of confrontation 
and escalation that Sharon had adopted for the past 
four years has been exhausted.  In addition, the 
nature of the coming steps that need to be taken are 
now clear.  The Palestinian cease-fire must be 
accompanied by Israeli withdrawals and the return to 
the negotiating table in order to achieve a goal that 
has been known to everyone in the world, namely the 
establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state. 
Without the establishment of this state, there will be 
no peace." 
HALE