US embassy cable - 02AMMAN3860

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 003860 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR, 
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD 
USAID/ANE/MEA 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
USCINCCENT/CCPA, USCENTCOM REAR MACDILL AFB FL 
NICOSIA FOR ILMG 
STATE PASS TO AID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KMDR JO 
SUBJECT: JORDAN: MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ, THE 
QUADRIPARTITE MEETING 
 
SUMMARY 
 
NEWS REPORTS IN JORDAN'S DAILIES ON JULY 15 
CONCENTRATED ON THE IRAQI SITUATION, QUOTING THE PRIME 
MINISTER'S REAFFIRMATION THAT JORDAN REJECTS MILITARY 
ACTION AGAINST IRAQ, AND DENIAL OF THE EXISTENCE OF 
U.S. BASES IN JORDAN.  REPORTS ALSO COVERED THE IRAQI 
OFFICERS' MEETING IN LONDON, THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH'S 
REPORT FORESEEING THAT BRITISH FORCES WOULD OCCUPY IRAQ 
FOR FIVE YEARS, AND A/S WOLFOWITZ'S STATEMENT THAT 
THERE WOULD NOT BE A KURDISH STATE IN NORTHERN IRAQ. 
ON THE QUADRIPARTITE MEETING, SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL 
ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI REPORTED THAT THE U.S. WOULD SUBMIT 
A PLAN TO LIMIT THE POWERS OF ARAFAT. 
 
EDITORIAL WRITERS COMMENTED ON THE QUADRIPARTITE 
MEETING AND WHAT THEY CONCLUDED ID THE U.S. WAR ON 
ISLAM. 
 
 
 
NEWS REPORTS 
 
ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES ON JULY 15 REPORTED PRIME 
MINISTER ALI ABUL RAGHEB'S STATEMENT MADE AFTER HIS 
MEETING WITH ARAB LEAGUE SECRETARY-GENERAL AMR MUSSA, 
IN WHICH HE REAFFIRMED THAT JORDAN REJECTS A MILITARY 
STRIKE AGAINST IRAQ, AND THAT THERE ARE NO U.S. BASES 
IN JORDAN. 
 
JORDANIAN DAILIES ALSO REPORTED THE MEETING OF IRAQI 
OFFICERS IN LONDON, WHICH FORMED A MILITARY COUNCIL TO 
LEAD CHANGE IN IRAQ.  CENTER-LEFT, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC 
DAILY AL-DUSTOUR LED WITH THE REPORT FROM THE SUNDAY 
TELEGRAPH QUOTING "LEAKS" THAT BRITISH FORCES WOULD 
OCCUPY IRAQ FOR FIVE YEARS.  INDEPENDENT, MASS-APPEAL 
ARABIC DAILY AL-ARAB AL-YAWM REPORTED ON THE FRONT PAGE 
AS WOLFOWITZ'S STATEMENT THAT THERE WOULD NOT BE A 
KURDISH STATE IN THE NORTH OF IRAQ. 
 
SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI REPORTED 
AN AMERICAN PLAN TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE QUADRIPARTITE 
MEETING IN WASHINGTON, WHICH AIMS TO LIMIT THE POWERS 
OF ARAFAT. 
 
 
EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES 
 
-- WILL THE QUADRIPARTITE MEETING BECOME A QUINTET? 
DAILY COLUMNIST MAHMOUD AL-RIMAWI WROTE IN SEMI- 
OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON JULY 15: 
"INTERNATIONAL PARTIES, INCLUDING RUSSIA, ARE WORRIED 
THAT THE QUADRIPARTITE COMMITTEE MAY COLLAPSE BECAUSE 
OF THE ENORMOUS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE U.S. AND THE 
OTHER MEMBERS. HOWEVER, THESE DIFFERENCES, NO MATTER 
HOW SHARP, ARE BETTER THAT WASHINGTON SUCCEEDING IN 
FORCING ITS WILL ON RUSSIA AND/ OR EUROPE.  THIS 
HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ARAB PARTICIPATION IN 
THE COMMITTEE FOR TWO REASONS:  THE FIRST IS TO AFFIRM 
THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL POSITIONS ON THE 
CONFLICT, AND THE SECOND TO RESTORE SOME DIALOGUE 
BETWEEN THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT AND THE REST OF THE 
U.S. ADMINISTRATION, WHICH HAS COMMITTED ITSELF TO THE 
LETTER OF THE ISRAELI AGENDA, THUS MAKING THE U.S. A 
PARTNER IN THE OCCUPATION." 
 
-- AMERICAN REFORMS BETWEEN DICTATORSHIPS, TERRORISM, 
AND CORRUPTION 
COLUMNIST ARAFAT HIJAZI WROTE A LENGTHY COMMENTARY IN 
CENTER-LEFT, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON 
JULY 15 IN WHICH HE SAID: "THE U.S. POSES AS THE SELF- 
APPOINTED GUARDIAN OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE WORLD, WHICH 
IS PROMPTED BY HUMANITARIAN REASONS TO LIBERATE THE 
DOWNTRODDEN PEOPLE FROM THEIR CORRUPT AND VILE 
DICTATORS, ALL OF WHOM HAPPEN TO BE ARABS OR MUSLIMS. 
BUSH THE FATHER COULD NOT FIND A SINGLE DICTATOR IN THE 
WORLD EXCEPT IRAQ, SO HE DESTROYED THE IRAQI POWDERED 
MILK FACTORY, THE AMIRIYAH SHELTER WHERE WOMEN AND 
CHILDREN WERE HIDING FROM THE AMERICAN BOMBING, AND 
PLACED IRAQ UNDER A SIEGE THAT KILLED OVER A MILLION 
CIVILIANS. THEN THE U.S. MOVED TO FIGHT TERRORISM, SO 
IT DESTROYED A PHARMACEUTICAL FACTORY IN SUDAN AND 
BOMBED THE HOVELS OF THE POOREST COUNTRY ON EARTH, 
AFGHANISTAN.  FINALLY, BUSH THE SON DECLARED HIS WAR ON 
CORRUPTION, AS DEFINED BY THE PALESTINIAN LEADERSHIP, 
AND GAVE A MANDATE TO THE WAR CRIMINAL AND MASS 
MURDERER SHARON TO USE AMERICAN WEAPONS TO DESTROY IT. 
THE ISRAELI ARMY DID NOT ASSASSINATE OR ARREST A SINGLE 
CORRUPT PALESTINIAN.  INSTEAD THEY PROCEEDED TO 
MASSACRE WOMEN AND CHILDREN AND DESTROY THEIR HOUSES, 
AS THE AMERICANS DID IN AFGHANISTAN. THESE WARS ARE 
PRETEXTS FOR THE REAL WAR THAT BUSH THE SON DECLARED 
SOON AFTER TAKING POWER, AND WHICH HE LATER DESCRIBED 
AS A SLIP OF THE TONGUE, WHEN HE DECLARED THAT HE WOULD 
LEAD A CRUSADE TO BRING PEACE TO THE WORLD, AS IF 
POINTING TO MUSLIMS AS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL IN THE 
WORLD."  GNEHM