US embassy cable - 02AMMAN4179

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 004179 
 
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, OCCUPIED 
TERRITORIES 
 
SUMMARY 
 
NEWS REPORTS IN JORDAN'S DAILIES ON JULY 29 HIGHLIGHTED 
KING ABDULLAH'S CNN INTERVIEW, IN WHICH HE REAFFIRMED 
JORDAN'S REJECTION OF MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ. 
THEY ALSO REPORTED THE ISRAELI RAID ON HEBRON BY ARMY 
UNITS AND SETTLERS, UNDER THE HEADLINE: "ISRAELI 
TERRORISM SACKS HEBRON." 
 
A NUMBER OF DAILY EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES DID NOT APPEAR 
IN THEIR USUAL SPOT ON JULY 29.  OF THOSE THAT DID, 
COMMENTATORS CRITICIZED REPORTS THAT THE U.S. WOULD 
RESUME THE INTERCEPTION OF SHIPS IN AND OUT OF AQABA, 
AND THE U.S. DOMINATION OF THE UN.  ONE EDITORIALIST 
ADVISED PALESTINIANS NOT TO RETALIATE AGAINST THE 
ISRAELI RAID ON GAZA BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE SWALLOWING 
SHARON'S BAIT. 
 
 
NEWS REPORTS 
 
THE LEAD STORY IN ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES ON JULY 29 WAS 
KING ABDULLAH'S INTERVIEW WITH CNN AFTER HIS MEETING 
WITH THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER AND BEFORE HIS MEETING 
WITH PRESIDENT BUSH.  THE NEWSPAPERS HIGHLIGHTED THE 
FOLLOWING QUOTES: 
-  DIALOGUE IS THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE WAY TO DEAL WITH THE 
IRAQI SITUATION 
-  WE HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT DISCUSS WITH THE U.S. THE 
USE OF JORDANIAN TERRITORY FOR A STRIKE AGAINST IRAQ 
-  WE HAVE RECEIVED AN APOLOGY FROM U.S. OFFICIALS FOR 
CIRCULATING RUMORS ABOUT THE USE OF JORDANIAN TERRITORY 
FOR MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ 
-  WE ARE VERY CAUTIOUS ABOUT GETTING INVOLVED IN THE 
WEST BANK BECAUSE WE DO NOT WANT TO SEND THE WRONG 
MESSAGE 
-  PALESTINIANS ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE CONCERNED WITH 
THEIR POLITICAL OPTIONS AND THEY SHOULD DECIDE THEIR 
FUTURE. 
 
 
ALL DAILIES CARRIED ON THEIR FRONT PAGES AGENCY REPORTS 
THAT IRAQ HAS MADE PREPARATIONS TO CONFRONT THE 
"AMERICAN AGGRESSION." 
 
SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI PLAYED 
DOWN, WHILE OTHER DAILIES REPORTED ON THE FRONT PAGES 
REPORTS ABOUT THE ISRAELI ATTACK ON HEBRON, UNDER 
HEADLINES SUCH AS: "ISRAEL TERRORISM SACKS HEBRON." 
 
 
EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES 
 
-- THE SIEGE OF AQABA AGAIN 
LEADING JORDANIAN DAILY COLUMNIST FAHED AL-FANEK WROTE 
IN SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON 
JULY 29: "THERE ARE REPORTS THAT THE U.S. RED SEA FLEET 
PLANS TO REINSTATE THE SIEGE ON AQABA, GIVING ITSELF 
THE RIGHT TO INTERCEPT AND SEARCH SHIPS ENTERING OR 
LEAVING THE PORT TO ASSURE THAT THE RULES OF THE SIEGE 
ON IRAQ ARE RESPECTED. IF TRUE, THIS STUPID AMERICAN 
DECISION DESERVES THE STRONGEST CONDEMNATION BECAUSE IT 
MEANS THAT THE U.S., DOES NOT TRUST JORDAN DESPITE THE 
LATTER'S RESPECT FOR INTERNATIONAL RESOLUTIONS, UNJUST 
THOUGH THEY ARE.  TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, WE DO NOT SEE 
THE U.S. IMPOSE A SIMILAR SIEGE ON THE PORTS OF SYRIA, 
TURKEY, IRAN, OR THE EMIRATES.  IT SINGLES OUT JORDAN, 
WHICH SHOWS DISRESPECT FOR THIS COUNTRY'S SOVEREIGNTY." 
 
-- SHARON BOMBED A READY PALESTINIAN SECURITY PLAN 
DAILY COLUMNIST SULTAN HATTAB WROTE IN SEMI-OFFICIAL 
INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON JULY 29: "WHEN 
EXTREMIST ELEMENTS IN ISRAEL LEARNED THAT THERE WAS A 
POSSIBILITY OF THE SUCCESS OF THE PALESTINIAN PLAN THAT 
WAS WORKED OUT UNDER ARAB AND INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE, 
AND WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM INTERNATIONAL SECURITY 
AGENCIES, THESE ISRAELI AGENCIES, WITH THE COLLUSION OF 
SHARON, WORKED TO ABORT THE PLAN BY CONDUCTING THE RAID 
ON GAZA.  SHARON NOW WANTS MORE ISRAELIS TO BE KILLED, 
AND HE WANTS PALESTINIAN RETALIATIONS, THE SEEDS OF 
WHICH HE SOWS BY HIS AGGRESSION, BECAUSE THIS PROLONGS 
HIS GOVERNMENT'S LEASE OF LIFE AND THE CONTINUATION OF 
HIS PLANS OF USURPING PALESTINIAN RIGHTS AND PREVENTING 
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PALESTINIAN STATE." 
 
-- THE UN, OWNED BY THE U.S. 
DAILY COLUMNIST MAZEN AL-SAKET WROTE IN CENTER-LEFT, 
INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON JULY 29: "WHEN 
COUNTRIES DECLARE THEMSELVES OPPOSED TO MILITARY ACTION 
AGAINST IRAQ, AND OUT OF FEAR OF THEIR AMERICAN MASTERS 
THEY SHYLY HIDE BEHIND THE LACK OF A UN RESOLUTION, THE 
SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THIS ORGANIZATION HASTENS TO 
 
SIPDIS 
SUSPEND TALKS WITH IRAQ.  AFTER THE ISRAELI MASSACRE IN 
GAZA, THE U.S. LAID A CONDITION TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL 
THAT ANY RESOLUTION ON THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE SHOULD 
CONDEMN PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE AND DESCRIBE IT AS 
TERRORISM. THE UN HAS BECOME A TOOL OF ITS OWNER, THE 
U.S., SIMILAR TO THE ARAB POLITICAL JOKE ABOUT 
POLITICAL PLURALISM."  GNEHM