US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI4239

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 004239 
 
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 TO MOC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, TC 
SUBJECT:  MEDIA REACTION: NONPROLIFERATION/DEMOCRACY IN THE 
MIDDLE EAST 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  A UAE COLUMNIST WONDERS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF ARABS 
SUCCEED IN ACQUIRING NUCLEAR WEAPONS.  HE NOTES THAT ARAB 
CAPITALS WOULD HAVE BEEN DESTROYED BY OTHER ARABS IF THEY HAD 
POSSESSED NUCLEAR WEAPONS.  HE CONCLUDES THAT IT IS THE WISDOM OF 
GOD THAT PLACED NUCLEAR WEAPONS OUT OF THE REACH OF ARABS' HANDS. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
2.   Abdullah Rasheed wrote in, Abu Dhabi-Based Arabic Daily "Al 
Ittihad," 10/3 (circulation 65,000): 
 
"The most important question raised regarding the nuclear 
aspirations of certain countries, namely Iran and North Korea, is 
not who does not have the right to possess nuclear weapons, but 
who has the right to possess nuclear weapons?  Answering this 
question would lead us to a number of side questions such as, are 
there sane nations and insane ones?  And what would happen if 
such a weapon became available to the hands of insane people? 
Because we, Arabs, are possessed with the conspiracy theory, and 
we always consider ourselves victims of imperialist, Zionist and 
Western conspiring, I will focus on the possibility of us, Arabs, 
acquiring such a dangerous weapon." 
 
3.  ". The question that I want to ask is, what would happen if 
an Arab nation, God forbid, possesses a nuclear weapon?  I 
believe the answer is clear.  If a Lebanese faction had a nuclear 
power, that nation would have been wiped from the map forever. 
And if a Yemeni group possessed a nuclear weapon, Sanna or Aden 
would have become like Hiroshima or Nagasaki on the 16th of 
August 1945." 
 
4.  "HOWEVER, IF SADDAM AND KHOMEINI OR ONE OF THEM HAD NUCLEAR 
POWER, TWO THIRDS OF IRAQI AND IRANIAN CITIES WOULD HAVE BEEN 
DESTROYED, AND IF SADDAM SUCCEEDED IN ACQUIRING NUCLEAR POWER 
FOLLOWING THE DESTRUCTION OF HIS NUCLEAR REACTOR IN THE MID 
1980S, ALL GCC CAPITALS WOULD HAVE BEEN BURNED AND DESTROYED..IT 
IS THE WISDOM OF GOD THAT PLACED NUCLEAR WEAPONS OUT OF REACH OF 
OUR HANDS." 
 
5.  Under the headline " What is Rice cooking up?", English daily 
"Gulf News", 10/3 (circulation 95,000): 
 
"Listening to an American secretary of state talk about democracy 
in the Middle East, considering Washington's record in 
overthrowing democratically elected regimes, is a touch 
nauseating, especially when set against a background of thinly- 
veiled hints of action against Iran and Syria that come almost 
daily from some American official. Washington in 2003 was not 
looking for a reason to go to war, it was looking for an excuse. 
What is Rice looking for now? More military action in the region, 
coupling democracy with an air strike on some Iraqi town or 
Gaza?" 
QUINN 
 
 
QUINN