US embassy cable - 05MUSCAT866

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000866 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD, NEA/P, INR/R/MR 
 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
PARIS FOR ZEYA 
USCENTCOM FOR PLUSH 
FOREIGN PRESS CENTER FOR ASILAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, KMDR, OIIP, MU, Public Affairs 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: LAURA BUSH, ABU MAZEN, AND FREEDOM 
 
 
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A First For The First Lady? 
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1. The government-owned Arabic daily "Oman" carried an article by 
Dr. Ali Abdulkarim bin Ali bin Jawad on May 25 entitled "Laura 
Bush's New Title?": 
 
"Laura Bush's speech, in which she called on the people of the 
Middle East to cooperate for a brighter future, was notable for 
its positive and reserved language.  She wanted to remind us 
about America's good deeds in the region.  However, her carefully 
planned speech raises a number of questions.  First, was the 
speech merely ceremonial with no political message, or was it a 
statement of American policy toward the region?  Second, why was 
Laura Bush chosen to represent the United States at a summit 
where regional political issues were being discussed?  Secretary 
of State Condoleezza Rice - a strong woman with an impressive 
career as an academic, a board member of Chevron, and most 
recently the U.S. National Security Advisor - could have 
represented the U.S. as both a government official and a modern 
woman of the new era.  Political analysts suggest that Laura was 
intentionally chosen to improve America's image in the region." 
 
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Mr. Abbas Goes To Washington 
---------------------------- 
 
2. On May 29, "Oman" ran an editorial under the headline "The 
U.S. Position On Palestine": 
 
"We do not exaggerate when we say that Abu Mazen's visit to the 
United States was a success, and achieved more than even the 
Palestinians expected.  In addition to the financial support that 
the U.S. promised to provide to the Palestinians after the 
Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, it appears that Washington is 
moving towards a deeper understanding of the Palestinian 
position.  Not only has Bush continued to voice his support for 
the establishment of a Palestinian state, but he also demanded 
that Israeli settlement activity be halted, and for troops to 
withdraw to their pre-Intifadha (September 2000) positions." 
 
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The Currency Of Freedom 
----------------------- 
 
3. The privately-owned Arabic daily "al-Watan" published an 
editorial on May 27 entitled "No Democracy Without Freedom": 
 
"When Abu Mazen went to Washington, he brought with him a clear 
and well-organized `roadmap.'  He stated that freedom and 
democracy are two faces of the same coin, and demanded freedom 
for his people before democracy could be demanded of the 
Palestinians.  Abu Mazen went on to say that democracy in 
Palestine already exists, but is incomplete because the Israeli 
withdrawal has not taken place." 
 
STEWART