US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI3829

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 003829 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA; 
INR/B; IIP/G/NEA-SA 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC 
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA 
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH; PARIS FOR ZEYA 
LONDON PASS MOC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, TC 
SUBJECT:  MEDIA REACTION:UAE DENIAL, WITHDRAWAL FROM GAZA, KATRINA 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  UAE PRESIDENT'S ORDERS TO SEND URGENT RELIEF TO THE 
VICTIMS OF KATRINA AND UAE'S OFFICIAL DENIAL OF REPORTS IN THE 
ISRAELI PRESS REGARDING THE OPENING OF A REPRESENTATIONAL OFFICE 
IN DUBAI RECEIVED PROMINENT COVERAGE IN THE UAE'S PRINT AND 
ELECTRONIC MEDIA.  "AL-ITTIHAD" DAILY URGED FORMATION OF AN 
INTERNATIONAL FORCE TO INTERVENE RAPIDLY IN DEVASTATED AREAS.  AN 
EDITORIAL IN THE LARGEST UAE DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" CRITICIZED STEPS 
TAKEN BY PAKISTAN TO ESTABLISH RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL.  IT URGED 
ARAB AND MUSLIM NATIONS TO REWARD THE PALESTINIANS, RATHER THAN 
THE ISRAELI "OCCUPIERS" FOR QUITTING GAZA.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  ALL UAE'S ARABIC AND ENGLISH-LANGUAGE DAILIES HIGHLIGHTED AN MFA 
OFFICIAL SOURCE DENYING REPORTS IN ISRAELI NEWSPAPERS CLAIMING 
THAT "ISRAEL HAS OPENED A REPRESENTATIONAL OFFICE IN DUBAI".  THE 
SOURCE ADDED THAT "THE UAE ADHERES COMPLETELY TO THE ARAB PEACE 
INITIATIVES ANNOUNCED IN BEIRUT AND ALGIERS THAT LINK ANY 
NORMALIZATION WITH ISRAEL TO THE RECOGNITION OF THE LEGITIMATE 
RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE, INCLUDING THEIR RIGHTS IN 
ESTABLISHING THEIR OWN STATE WITH JERUSALEM AS ITS CAPITAL." 
 
3.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "REWARD THE PALESTINIAN FIRST", SHARJAH-BASED 
PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" (CIRCULATION 85,000) 9/5 
EDITORIALIZED: 
 
"WAS THE GAZA STRIP JEWISH, AND THE WAR CRIMINAL SHARON GRANTED IT TO 
THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE TO RECEIVE SUCH AN APPRECIATION AND GET 
REWARDED BY ARAB AND MUSLIM NATIONS?  GAZA WAS OCCUPIED AND 
REMAINS OCCUPIED, AND WHAT HAPPNED IS THAT JEWISH SETTLERS WERE 
RELOCATED FROM ARAB LAND INTO ANOTHER ARAB LAND.  EVEN IF THE 
STRIP IS LIBERATED FROM ANY ZIONIST PRESENCE, THIS IS BECAUSE 
SHARON WANTS TO STOP PAYING A DEAR PRICE FOR HIS OCCUPATION OF 
GAZA, AND AT THE SAME TIME ENDEAVORS TO CEMENT HIS OCCUPATION OF 
WHAT REMAINS OF PALESTINE.  THOSE WHO DESERVE A REWARD ARE NOT 
THE ASSASSINS IN THE ZIONIST ENTITY, BUT THE PATIENT AND 
STEADFAST PALESTINIAN PEOPLE WHO MADE MANY AND UNPRECEDENTED 
SACRIFICES TO UPROOT THE OCCUPATION AND TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN 
INDEPENDENT STATE WITH JERUSALEM AS ITS CAPITAL..THE PAKISTANI 
NORMALIZATION STEP WITH THE ZIONIST ENTITY REPRESENTED A REAL 
BREAKTHROUGH, YET IT WAS PRECEDED BY SECRECT CONTACTS BETWEEN 
ISLAMABAD AND THE ENTITY.  NEWS COMING FROM TURKEY, WHICH 
SPONSORED SUCH A BREAKTHROUGH, TALKS ABOUT THE PREPARATION OF AN 
EXTENDED NORMALIZATION SUMMIT IN WHICH SHAROM MEETS WITH NEW ARAB 
LEADERS.. HAVE WE GIVEN UP THE LIBERATION OF WHAT REMAINS OF ARAB 
TERRITORIES OUTSIDE PALESTINE INCLUDING THE GOLAN HEIGHTS IN 
SYRIA, THE SHIBAA FARMS IN LEBANON AND THE 1967 BORDERS ON WHICH 
THE PALESTINIAN STATE IS SUPPOSED TO BE ESTABLISHED WHICH IS 
REJECTED BY SHARON WITH FULL U.S. BACKING?  THESE ARE QUESTIONS 
THAT REQUIRE SPEEDY ANSWERS." 
 
4.  COMMENTING ON THE NEED TO ESTABLISH A INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN 
FORCE TO INTERFERE IN DEVASTATED AREAS, ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI- 
OFFICIAL ARABIC DAILY "AL-ITTIHAD" (CIRCULATION 65,000) 9/5 
EDITORIALIZED: 
 
"THE RAPID INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO RELIEF FOR THE VICTIMS OF 
KATRINA SHOWS THAT THE WORLD IS ACTUALLY LIVING IN A GLOBAL 
VILLAGE.. THE HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE THE U.S. IS EXPERIENCING 
FOLLOWING THE HURRICANE KTRINA REQUIRES THE WORLD COMMUNITY TO 
STAND TOGETHER AND RELIEVE THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY FROM ONE OF THE 
WORST CATASTROPHES IN HISTORY.  THE UAE WAS AMONG THE FIRST 
NATIONS THAT HASTENED TO HELP THE NEEDY, REGARDLESS OF COLOR AND 
ETHNICITY, AS IT WAS AMONG THE FIRST NATIONS THAT GAVE A HAND TO 
THE VICTIMS OF THE TSUNAMI IN ASIA.  THE CATASTROPHE IS HUGE AND 
NO ONE NATION CAN CONFRONT IT, EVEN A SUPERPOWER LIKE THE UNITED 
STATES.WHAT HAPPENED CONFIRMS THE NEED TO FORM AN INTERNATIONAL 
FORCE FOR RAPID INTERVENTION THAT WOULD BE READY TO PROVIDE 
RELIEF AND ASSISTANCE TO THE NEEDY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD." 
 
SISON