US embassy cable - 05MUSCAT1634

UNCLAS MUSCAT 001634 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD, NEA/P, AND INR/R/MR 
 
LONDON FOR TSOU 
PARIS FOR ZEYA 
USCENTCOM FOR PLUSH 
FOREIGN PRESS CENTER FOR SILAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, KMDR, OIIP, MU, Public Affairs, International Relations 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ/SYRIA AND ISRAEL/PALESTINE 
 
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History Repeats 
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1. The government-owned Arabic daily "Oman" ran an editorial on 
October 31 entitled "Will The Iraq Scenario Be Repeated?": 
 
"Perhaps the fears of Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister are 
justified regarding a UN Security Council resolution authorizing 
the use of force against Damascus, particularly in the wake of 
the Mehlis Report.  But the international community has a moral 
and legal responsibility to prevent another mistake like the 
search for WMD in Iraq.  The Syrian government demonstrated its 
readiness to cooperate and hold accountable those who might be 
responsible for Hariri's death.  Wisdom dictates that superpowers 
like the U.S. should deal with these matters diplomatically and 
give the investigating committee more time.  Washington 
recognizes the dangers of preemptive war, and perhaps the lesson 
of Iraq will be enough." 
 
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United We Stand 
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2. The privately owned Arabic daily "al-Watan" published an 
editorial on October 30 entitled "Are The Arabs Still Unified?": 
 
"Tensions in the region are increasing day after day, and more 
challenges and risks are presenting themselves.  The most urgent 
problem is the U.S. administration's focus on Damascus, given 
Syria's alleged involvement in the Hariri assassination and their 
alleged support of terrorists in Iraq.  Arab solutions are needed 
for these problems, but the Arabs have become tired of appealing 
to their leaders every day without any result.  Yet, it is not 
too late to call for a unified Arab response, or to ask the most 
influential Arab countries to show their support for Syria." 
 
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Riding The Escalators 
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3. "Al-Watan" also featured an editorial on October 29 under the 
headline "Serious Escalation In Palestine": 
 
"Recently, Israel conducted air and land raids on the Gaza Strip, 
designed to inflict the heaviest possible losses on the 
Palestinians.  Although Israel has been told many times over the 
past years that such practices would not result in stopping the 
Palestinian struggle, it seems that Tel Aviv intends to push 
forward with disavowing its commitments to the peace process. 
Thus, Israel bears full responsibility for this continuous and 
dangerous escalation of the situation in the Gaza Strip.  It is 
very important for the international community to move quickly in 
order to put an end to these criminal Israeli practices." 
 
BALTIMORE