US embassy cable - 02AMMAN3968

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 003968 
 
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 COMMITTEE 
 
 
SUMMARY 
 
JORDANIAN DAILIES ON JULY 18 REPORTED THAT KING 
ABDULLAH WOULD MEET WITH PRESIDENTS CHIRAC AND BUSH IN 
TWO WEEKS, THE PROGRESS OF THE QUADRIPARTITE MEETING IN 
WASHINGTON, AND PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR'S COMMENT 
THAT MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ WOULD NOT REQUIRE A 
NEW UN RESOLUTION. 
 
EDITORIAL WRITERS COMMENTED ON IRAQ AND THE 
QUADRIPARTITE MEETING 
 
 
NEWS REPORTS 
 
JORDANIAN DAILIES ON JULY 18 ALL REPORTED THAT KING 
ABDULLAH WOULD MEET WITH FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES 
CHIRAC AND PRESIDENT BUSH IN THE NEXT FORTNIGHT. 
 
ON THE QUADRIPARTITE COMMITTEE MEETING, DAILIES 
REPORTED PRESIDENT BUSH'S COMMENT THAT PROGRESS HAS 
BEEN MADE, THAT THE COMMITTEE SUPPORTS THE 
ESTABLISHMENT OF A PALESTINIAN STATE, THAT IT IGNORED 
THE CALL TO MARGINALIZE ARAFAT, AND THAT A TEAM OF 
EXPERTS UNDER AMERICAN LEADERSHIP WILL HELP REFORM THE 
PALESTINIAN SECURITY SYSTEM.  FOREIGN MINISTERS MUASHER 
AND MAHER OF JORDAN AND EGYPT WERE QUOTED AS SAYING 
THAT PRESIDENT BUSH'S POSITION REGARDING ARAFAT WOULD 
NOT HANDICAP PEACE. 
 
CENTER-LEFT, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR GAVE 
FRONT-PAGE COVERAGE TO BRITISH PRIME MINISTER'S REMARKS 
THAT MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ DOES NOT REQUIRE A 
NEW UN RESOLUTION. 
 
 
EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES 
 
-- FROM DEFENSE TO ATTACK 
PROMINENT JORDANIAN COLUMNIST FAHED AL-FANEK WROTE IN 
SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON JULY 
18: "THE COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN THE REPORTS ON JORDAN'S 
ALLEGED COLLUSION IN THE AMERICAN AGGRESSION AGAINST 
IRAQ DOES NOT INDICATE THEIR TRUTH, RATHER THAT THEY 
CAME FROM THE SAME SOURCE.  THIS MISINFORMATION 
CAMPAIGN PUT JORDAN ON THE DEFENSIVE.  BUT NOW IS THE 
TIME TO MOVE FROM DEFENSE TO OFFENSE.  THE FOREIGN 
AGGRESSION BEING PLANNED AGAINST IRAQ IS NOT PLANNED 
AGAINST SADDAM HUSSEIN ONLY, AS THE SCHOOL OF THOUGHT 
THAT DERIVES ITS WISDOM FROM THE CIA CLAIMS.  IT IS AN 
AGGRESSION AGAINST THE STATE AND PEOPLE OF IRAQ, AND 
AFTER IRAQ WOULD COME THE TURN OF SYRIA, LEBANON, 
SUDAN, LIBYA, YEMEN, AND SO ON.  NEUTRALITY IN THE FACE 
OF THIS AGGRESSION DOES NOT FULFILL THE AMBITIONS OF 
JORDAN.  WE SHOULD REJECT THE AGGRESSION IN EVERY 
LEGITIMATE WAY POSSIBLE.  OTHERWISE, WHAT IS THE 
MEETING OF ARAB NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE ARAB TREATIES 
OF MUTUAL DEFENSE?" 
 
-- THE OTHER FACE OF THE QUADRIPARTITE MEETING 
DAILY COLUMNIST RAKAN AL-MAJALI WROTE IN CENTER-LEFT, 
INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON JULY 18: "IT IS 
VERY CLEAR THAT THERE ARE OBJECTIVES TO THE 
INTERNATIONAL QUADRIPARTITE MEETING CONTRARY TO THOSE 
THAT ARE DECLARED.  THE MEETINGS CONCENTRATED ON THE 
AMERICAN CAPRICIOUSNESS AND INTRANSIGENCE REGARDING 
ARAFAT, IGNORING THE SUPPOSEDLY MAIN TOPIC OF 
DISCUSSION, WHICH IS TO RESOLVE THE CONFLICT AND END 
THE TRAGEDY IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES. IT 
HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT ALL PAST INITIATIVES AND PROMISES 
WERE ILLUSORY, AND PRETEXTS WERE FOUND TO POSTPONE 
INDEFINITELY. SIMILARLY, THE TALK ABOUT REFORMING THE 
PNA AND CHANGING ARAFAT IS PART OF THE OLD SCENARIO 
WHICH HAS ONE OBJECTIVE: TO CREATE ILLUSIONS THROUGH 
FALSE PROMISES AND COVER UP FOR THE LACK OF ANY 
INTENTION TO PROVIDE A REAL SOLUTION." 
 
-- THE MEETINGS OF NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON 
PROMINENT DAILY COLUMNIST URAIB AL-RANTAWI WROTE IN 
CENTER-LEFT, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON 
JULY 18: "WASHINGTON FAILED TO PERSUADE THE 
QUADRIPARTITE COMMITTEE TO EXILE ARAFAT, BUT IT 
SUCCEEDED IN A MORE IMPORTANT PURSUIT, IMPOSING THE 
AMERICAN VISION OF ADDRESSING DIFFERENT TRACKS IN 
SUCCESSION, NOT IN PARALLEL.  WHEN SECURITY BECOMES THE 
PREREQUISITE FOR STARTING TO FULFILL ISRAEL'S 
OBLIGATIONS, IT MEANS GIVING THE FUTURE OF THE PEACE 
PROCESS IN THE HAND OF A PARTY THAT REJECTS PEACE ON 
IDEOLOGICAL GROUNDS. EITHER WAY, THE MEETINGS SHED SOME 
LIGHT ON WHAT IS POSSIBLE INTERNATIONALLY AT THE 
PRESENT STAGE, AND THIS CONSOLIDATES OUR PESSIMISTIC 
ASSESSMENT THAT THE VACUUM IN THE REGION WILL CONTINUE 
UNTIL NEXT SPRING AT LEAST."  GNEHM