US embassy cable - 02AMMAN5736

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005736 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR, 
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN 
USAID/ANE/MEA 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
USCINCCENT//CCPA, USCENTCOM REAR MACDILL AFB FL 
STATE PASS TO AID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KMDR JO 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON SIGNATURE OF FOREIGN 
RELATIONS AUTHORIZATION ACT AND CONGRESSIONAL 
RESOLUTION ON IRAQ 
                        Summary 
 
 
-- Lead stories in all papers today, October 3, 
highlight the resolution text agreed to by leaders of 
the U.S. House of Representatives and some U.S. 
Senators authorizing President Bush to use force 
against Iraq.  Under headlines such as  "Beat of U.S.- 
Iraq war drums goes on" (Jordan Times) and "Bush takes 
new step towards war" (Al-Arab Al-Yawm), reports 
highlight President Bush's press conference in the 
White House welcoming the resolution.  Another lead 
story reports Jordan's official reaction to the U.S. 
legislation regarding Jerusalem.  Minister of 
Information Mohammad Adwan voiced "deep concern" over 
the legislation and considered the move a 
"contradiction with international law and relevant 
U.N. resolutions, and a dangerous violation of the 
rights of the Palestinian people." 
 
One editorial criticizes the U.S. decision on 
Jerusalem, arguing that many people will now see 
Congress as "the bastion of enmity and hostility 
towards the Arabs."  Influential columnist Urayb 
Rantawi, however, maintains that the reaction to this 
issue is another tempest in a teacup, and will 
disappear as soon as the resolution to strike Iraq is 
adopted. 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "The catastrophic stroke of the pen" 
 
Centrist, influential among the elite English daily 
Jordan Times (10/03) editorializes:  "By signing into 
law a congressional bill asking that Jerusalem be 
considered the capital of Israel in all official 
documents, President George Bush not only violated 
international principles and U.N. Security Council 
resolutions.  He condemned the Palestinians to more 
frustration, Israelis to more violence and the whole 
region to more instability.  The message that Bush 
sent to the international community at large is that, 
whatever unlawful actions a country has committed . 
Washington will not only condone, but also sanction 
the outcome of such actions.  The message that Bush 
sent to Palestinians and Arabs, both Muslims and 
Christians, is that his administration has already 
decided the outcome of final status talks even before 
their start; that the whole peace process is useless 
and irrelevant; that he has subscribed to the policy 
of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.  Bush's 
decision was indeed a catastrophe for Palestinians, 
Israelis, Arabs, the region, the international 
community as a whole and - it will show soon enough - 
U.S. interests and foreign as well as domestic 
policies." 
 
-- "The Congress and the war against Palestine and 
Iraq" 
 
Center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(10/03) editorial concludes:  "A number of people 
inside and outside the region are going to view the 
U.S. Congress as one of the bastions of extremism and 
enmity towards Arab and Muslim causes.  The ink did 
not even dry on the U.S. legislation when the Congress 
issued another resolution authorizing the U.S. 
President to use force against Iraq.  This means that 
the American legislative authority has turned into a 
war organization, led by Washington, against Arab 
causes and their rights in Palestine and Iraq." 
 
-- "The Jerusalem law" 
 
Daily columnist Urayb Rantawi writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(10/03):  "The Congressional law will pass like so 
many others before it.  The Security Council will 
issue a resolution reiterating the international 
community's rejection of any unilateral measures.  The 
need to activate the negotiations to reach an 
agreement will be stressed.  The law is a storm in a 
tea cup that will be over as soon as the other storm 
in a tea cup starts --  the expected resolution on 
Iraq." 
GNEHM