US embassy cable - 05DHAKA606

UNCLAS DHAKA 000606 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR I/FW, B/G, IIP/G/NEA-SA, B/VOA/N (BANGLA SERVICE) STATE 
FOR SA/PAB, SA/PPD (LSCENSNY, SSTRYKER), SA/RA, INR/R/MR, 
AND PASS TO USAID FOR ANE/ASIA/SA/B (WJOHNSON) 
 
CINCPAC FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR, J51 (MAJ TURNER), J45 
(MAJ NICHOLLS) 
 
USARPAC FOR APOP-IM (MAJ HEDRICK) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR, OIIP, OPRC, KPAO, PREL, ETRD, PTER, ASEC, BG, OCII 
SUBJECT: Media Reaction: Middle East;Dhaka 
 
 
Summary:  "The Daily Star" and "New Age," both English 
dailies, welcome negotiations and diplomacy from both the 
Palestinian people and Israel and hope for a positive 
development for both sides. 
 
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MIDDLE EAST 
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"Middle East Talks:  Dawning of A New Era? 
Independent English language "The Daily Star" editorially 
comments (02/11/05): 
 
We sincerely hope that the meeting between Israeli Prime 
Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud 
Abbas signals a turning point in the long-standing conflict 
between the Israelis and the Palestinians. 
We can only consider the latest developments to be positive. 
Any initiative that helps the Palestinians towards self- 
determination and nationhood and relieves them of the burden 
of foreign military occupation must be considered a good 
thing. Similarly, we would welcome a situation where 
Israelis could live in peace and security and maintain 
friendly relations with its neighbor to the east. 
Obviously, negotiation is the way forward. Israel -- and the 
U.S. -- have long held that the principal stumbling block to 
peace was the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and 
argued that there could be no negotiation as long as he 
remained in power. Well, now they have their wish. Let us 
hope that the Israelis will now agree to negotiate in good 
faith with Mahmoud Abbas rather than to dismiss him out of 
hand and use unrealistic expectations as to the extent of 
his control over militants as an excuse to drag their feet. 
Things look more promising than they have for many years. We 
only hope that this is not another false dawn as we have 
seen many times in the past, and that this time the 
expectations and promise are turned into concrete action for 
the benefit of the long suffering peoples of the region. 
 
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"A Cautious Beginning for Abbas" 
English daily "New Age" editorially comments (02/11/05): 
 
If there is anything the Middle East is in need of today, it 
is clearly a climate of peace and calm after all these 
months of trouble. If the Abbas-Sharon deal can work, 
something of a breakthrough may actually be seen at the end 
of the day. 
The stubborn way in which President Bush and Mr. Sharon 
refused to deal with Yasser Arafat in the final years of his 
life did not in any way advance the cause of peace. Mr. 
Arafat was considered, in a terrible example of bad 
judgment, as an obstacle by Washington and Tel Aviv. Perhaps 
there was much about Arafat_fs policies that was not 
correct, but what he stood for was significant for his 
fellow Palestinians. Now that he is dead, there is that hint 
of a suspicion that his successor may not be able to stand 
up to Israel and the United States when it is a matter of 
reaching a comprehensive, broad-based deal for the 
Palestinians. 
There is also the important question of how militant 
organizations like Hamas observe the Abbas-Sharon agreement. 
In recent months, the leading figures of Hamas have 
systematically been wiped out through targeted Israeli 
assassinations. That has inevitably made Hamas weak and has 
raised questions about its ability to strike in the way it 
used to. That may be a good thing for the deal. But one will 
simply have to wait and see. 
Thomas