US embassy cable - 05DHAKA3557

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 003557 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR I/FW, B/G, IIP/G/NEA-SA, B/VOA/N (BANGLA SERVICE) STATE 
FOR SA/PAB, SA/PPD (LSCENSNY, SSTRYKER), SA/RA, INR/R/MR, 
AND PASS TO USAID FOR ANE/ASIA/SA/B (WJOHNSON) 
 
CINCPAC FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR, J51 (MAJ TURNER), J45 
(MAJ NICHOLLS) 
 
USARPAC FOR APOP-IM (MAJ HEDRICK) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR, OIIP, OPRC, KPAO, PREL, ETRD, PTER, ASEC, BG, OCII 
SUBJECT: Media Reaction: Bomb blast in Egypt;Dhaka 
 
 
Summary: 
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Bomb Attacks in Sharms el Sheik and London 
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"Bomb Attacks in Egypt" 
Anti-West Bangla language newspaper "Inqilab" editorially 
comments (7/25): 
 
We have no words to express our indignation to those who 
carried out the attacks.  We strongly protest and condemn 
them.  We think that nothing great can be achieved through 
the killing of innocent people.  Killing will only increase 
violence.  Terrorism is now a worldwide problem. 
Unfortunately, fingers are pointed to Muslims for whatever 
happens in the world.  It is not yet known who were behind 
the two attacks in London.  Nevertheless, Muslims have been 
held responsible and subjected to harassment.  It seems that 
none other than Muslims can launch this kind of attacks or 
subversive activities.  This idea is very dangerous and a 
threat to world peace....  The so-called war against terror 
is a war against Muslims.  New crusaders hold Muslims 
responsible blindly for any terrorist incident in the world 
and increase their hostility to Muslims.  The world Muslim 
leadership must realize this conspiracy and deal with the 
situation with prudence.  Terrorism must be rejected, 
condemned and resisted always.  The causes of terrorism must 
be identified and it must be thoroughly investigated to find 
out who are engaged in terrorism.  A terrorist is a 
terrorist, his national identity cannot be taken in 
consideration.  It should be kept in mind that Islam has no 
relations with terrorism.  Islam does not support any kind 
of terrorism.  If a Muslim is engaged in terrorist 
activities, Islam does condone him and his crimes. 
 
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"This Barbarism Must be ended" 
Pro-opposition Bangla language newspaper "Sangbad" 
editorially comments (7/25): 
 
...The strong strategy adopted by those who are leading the 
war against terror is paving the way for terrorist 
activities.  Bush-Blair has divided the world instead of 
uniting the world against terrorism.  This division has, in 
fact, facilitated terrorism. 
 
The dangerous thing is that these incidents of terrorism 
have encouraged local terrorist organizations to be 
connected with international terrorist networks.  This 
dangerous process is going on in many countries, including 
Bangladesh.  The government's commitment to fight terrorism, 
be it local or international, is not sincere.  Sometimes, it 
takes some measures against terror, but they are just for 
show.  It is not difficult for anybody to realize that these 
are not sincere efforts.  There is no scope for any nation 
to remain idle in the war against international terrorism. 
 
---------------- 
 
"Egypt's tragedy" 
Independent English language newspaper "New Age" editorially 
comments (7/25): 
Those who have gone around promoting suicide killings 
through the murder of innocent people in such places as 
Madrid, Bali, London and now Sharm el Sheikh have clearly 
embraced the belief that their methods are the only ones 
that can force the world_fs powerful nations to their knees. 
For their part, the argument which men in Washington and 
London have always made, that terrorists have been working 
to destabilize life everywhere, is surely true. But what 
cannot at the same time be ignored is that much of the 
violence we observe around us today has been spawned by all 
the things that have gone wrong in Iraq. 
 
There is, in light of the darkness that one notices falling 
across increasingly bigger swathes of the globe, a need 
today for policy makers in the West - and we particularly 
mean the United States and Britain - to rethink policy. 
Sooner or later, it should be for President Bush and Prime 
Minister Blair to consider the options before them, one of 
which is to have their troops go back home from Iraq. While 
there is no guarantee that such a move will take Iraq back 
to normal (it is a devastated country today with nearly 
everyone out to grab what he can out of the mess), it will 
be a significant way of defusing the militancy that has been 
cropping up everywhere. We condemn, as we have always 
condemned, those who make targets of innocent civilians. 
Terrorism, we believe fully and unequivocally, is an evil 
that needs to be defeated at the earliest. At the same time, 
we think that the time has come for leaders in the West to 
tone down their hubris somewhat and acknowledge that a good 
deal of the terror we have been through in the last couple 
of years has been a direct result of the flawed policies 
they have pursued in places like Iraq and Guantanamo Bay. 
 
Our prayers go out to the families of those killed in Egypt. 
Our hope is that the perpetrators or planners of this dark 
deed will be brought to justice soon. 
------------- 
"Carnage at Sharm El-Sheikh" 
Centrist English language newspaper "News Today" editorially 
comments (7/25): 
Saturday's carnage at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm 
El-Sheikh adds a whole new dimension to the "war on terror" 
mega serial authored jointly by Messrs Bush and Blair. 
Eighty-eight dead and close to 200 injured puts it at par 
with the last week's London blasts but the similarity 
probably ends there. While the London blasts must be seen 
as continuation of defiance by people under pressure the 
attacks in the Egyptian resort clearly means taking the 
fight to the doorsteps of those who actively or passively 
have aided, abetted and colluded with the US-led coalition 
in its so-called war on terror. The kidnapping and 
subsequent killing of a very senior Egyptian diplomat in 
Iraq only the other day also falls in the same pattern. The 
message is loud and clear : at the end of more than two 
years of relentless pursuit the so-called terrorists today 
look not only more organized but even capable of striking 
anywhere at will. Nothing could be more embarrassing for 
the Bush and Blair administrations. 
 
Policymakers in Washington and London should now realize 
that they just cannot fight a faceless enemy. The "Islamic 
extremists" coinage is a very poor attempt at putting a 
face on the enemy but with world's Muslim population close 
to one billion this sounds like a joke. And why talk about 
the Muslims only? What about the deprived millions of Asia, 
Africa and Latin America? They too have grievances.... The 
problem was not Saddam Hossein or his rogue regime; the 
problem lies in the global order that tilted heavily 
against the majority. Days when colonial powers occupied 
countries and ruled them peacefully are long over. Even the 
world's lone superpower with an arsenal good enough to 
destroy the earth cannot hope to rule colonies through 
remote control. Iraq was the first lesson in this. If 
Washington goes for escalation the only casualty would be 
peace. It is a war, no doubt, but one that cannot be won by 
military might alone. 
Will Sharm El-Sheikh prompt Arab countries who have all 
these years looked like stooges of the west to rewrite 
their positions and assume a more pro-active role in their 
region? Only they can act as balm and persuade the boiling 
minds in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine and elsewhere to give 
them an opportunity to work out a deal acceptable to all. 
Our sincere sympathies for the victims of the latest act of 
violence. 
Chammas