US embassy cable - 02AMMAN4050

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 004050 
 
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 ARAB MINISTERS 
WASHINGTON MEETING, IRAQ, JORDANIAN DETAINED IN DETROIT 
 
 
SUMMARY 
NEWS REPORTS IN JORDAN'S DAILIES COVERED THE POSITIVE 
NOTE EXPRESSED BY ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS AFTER THEIR 
MEETING, WHICH WOULD BE RESUMED IN A WEEK. 
 
EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES COMMENTED SKEPTICALLY ABOUT THE 
OPTIMISM EXPRESSED BY ARAB MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
AFTER THEIR WASHINGTON MEETINGS. 
 
ALL DAILIES REPORTED THAT THE FAMILY OF OMAR AL- 
SHISHANI, WHO WAS DETAINED IN DETROIT, AFFIRMED THAT 
SHISHANI WOULD BE RELEASED ON WEDNESDAY, AND THAT THE 
DETENTION WAS THE RESULT OF A CONFUSION OVER NAMES. 
 
 
NEWS REPORTS 
 
NEWS REPORTS IN JORDAN'S DAILIES REPORTED THE POSITIVE 
NOTE AFTER THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN TALKS, WHICH WOULD 
BE RESUMED IN A WEEK, ACCORDING TO THE REPORTS.  CENTER- 
LEFT, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR LED WITH A 
REPORT THAT THE PNA FEARS A GENERAL FAMINE. 
 
IN AN EXCLUSIVE STORY, CENTER-LEFT, INFLUENTIAL ARABIC 
DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ATTRIBUTED TO THE MINISTER OF INDUSTRY 
AND TRADE THE STATEMENT MADE UPON HIS RETURN FROM 
BAGHDAD, THAT A JORDANIAN-IRAQI FREE TRADE AGREEMENT 
WOULD BE SIGNED SOON. 
 
 
EDITORIAL COMMENTARY 
 
-- JOHNSON'S LETTER AND BUSH'S AFFIRMATIONS 
PROMINENT DAILY COLUMNIST TARIQ MASARWAH WROTE IN SEMI- 
OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON JULY 22: 
"WE REMEMBER VIVIDLY THE LETTER FROM PRESIDENT LB 
JOHNSON TO HIS MAJESTY THE LATE KING HUSSEIN, IN WHICH 
HE SAID THAT THE ARAB COUNTRIES' ACCEPTANCE OF LORD 
CARADON'S INITIATIVE, WHICH BECAME RESOLUTION 242, 
WOULD ENABLE HIS ADMINISTRATION TO RESOLVE THE CONFLICT 
WITHIN SIX MONTHS.  HUNDREDS OF MONTHS LATER, WE RECALL 
THIS TO THE ARAB MINISTERS WHO CAME BACK FROM 
WASHINGTON BEARING THE AFFIRMATIONS OF PRESIDENT BUSH, 
HIS OPTIMISM, AND HIS CLARITY THAT THE PALESTINIAN 
STATE WOULD BE ESTABLISHED WITHIN THREE YEARS, PROVIDED 
THAT THE COUNTRIES WHO HAD ACCEPTED LORD CARADON'S 
INITIATIVE WOULD ONLY ACCEPT TO END TERRORISM, END 
CORRUPTION, AND PRODUCE AN ACCEPTABLE PALESTINIAN 
LEADERSHIP.  WE REMIND THESE MINISTERS THAT THEY ONLY 
HAVE PRESIDENT BUSH'S VERBAL ASSURANCES.  THIS TIME 
THERE IS NOT EVEN A LETTER.  BUT WHAT IS THERE TO 
PREVENT OPTIMISM?" 
 
-- WILL DROPPING THE OPTION OF RESISTANCE RESTORE 
LEGITIMATE RIGHTS? 
DAILY COLUMNIST MAZEN AL-SAKET WROTE IN CENTER-LEFT, 
INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON JULY 22: 
"DEVELOPMENTS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND THE U.S. ON THE ONE 
HAND AND EGYPT, SAUDI ARABIA, JORDAN, AND THE PNA ON 
THE OTHER, ALL REVOLVE AROUND `ENDING THE VIOLENCE,' 
WHICH MEANS DROPPING THE PALESTINIANS OPTION OF 
RESISTING THE OCCUPATION. IS IT SUFFICIENT FOR THE U.S. 
TO DICTATE THIS POSITION TO ARAB MINISTERS WHILE 
ISRAELI EXPANSION AND SETTLEMENT ACTIVITY CONTINUE? 
WHAT GUARANTEES DO THE PARTICIPATING ARAB COUNTRIES 
OFFER US THAT THE REQUIRED ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL WOULD 
TAKE PLACE, AND THAT PALESTINIANS WOULD RECOVER THEIR 
LEGITIMATE RIGHTS? WHAT ARE THE POSITIVE ELEMENTS THAT 
THE MINISTERS TALK ABOUT, WHICH NO ONE OTHER THAN THEM 
CAN SEE IN THE AMERICAN POSITION THAT IS TOTALLY BIASED 
TO ISRAEL AND THAT CALLS FOR ENDING PALESTINIAN 
NATIONAL REPRESENTATION?" 
 
-- THE TRIPARTITE DELEGATION RETURNS OPTIMISTIC 
DAILY COLUMNIST JAMIL AL-NIMRI WROTE IN SEMI-OFFICIAL 
INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON JULY 22: "THE MAIN 
POINT SCORED BY THE DELEGATION IS THAT THEY MOVED BUSH 
AWAY FROM HIS INSISTENCE ON REMOVING ARAFAT, IN FAVOR 
OF A FORMULA WHEREBY HE WOULD HAVE DIMINISHED POWER. 
AT THE SAME TIME, THERE WOULD BE AN AMERICAN-ARAB 
MANDATE ON PALESTINIAN REFORMS.  IF ALL GOES WELL, THIS 
WOULD NOT LEAD TO A RESOLUTION OF THE CONFLICT, BUT IT 
MAY PUT SHARON IN A CORNER AND BRING ABOUT A NEW 
SITUATION. REACHING A POLITICAL SOLUTION WILL ALWAYS 
REMAIN SUBJECT TO THE ISRAELI PEOPLE ACCEPTING SUCH AN 
OPTION, WHICH ALSO MAY BE POSSIBLE AFTER A LONG PERIOD 
OF CALM.  THERE IS, AT LEAST, AN ELEMENT THAT SERVES 
THE PALESTINIANS IN VIEW OF THE GREAT IMBALANCE OF 
STANDARDS, WHICH IS THAT THE ISRAELI MILITARY OPTION 
WILL NOT RESOLVE THE SITUATION."   GNEHM