US embassy cable - 02AMMAN6843

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 006843 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PA/PR/FPC (ASILAS); NEA/PPD (CBOURGEOIS, DMACINNES); NEA/ARN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OEXC SCUL JO 
SUBJECT: FOREIGN PRESS CENTER'S BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC 
REPORTING TOUR - PROGRAM EVALUATION 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY: MS. LUBNA ABDUL HAQ, AN ECONOMIC REPORTER AT 
"AL-ARAB AL-YAWM" ARABIC DAILY NEWSPAPER, AND MS. HALA AL 
HADIDI, AN ECONOMIC REPORTER AT JORDAN NEWS AGENCY (PETRA) 
WERE PARTICIPANTS IN THE FOREIGN PRESS CENTER'S BUSINESS AND 
ECONOMIC REPORTING TOUR, SEPTEMBER 15-28, 2002 (NON-IV 
ALLOCATION). PAS STAFF MET WITH BOTH MS. ABDUL HAQ AND MS. 
AL HADIDI TO GET THEIR FEED BACK ON THE TOUR. THEY BOTH 
COMMENTED THAT IT WAS AN EXCELLENT, IF INTENSE, PROGRAM, 
WHICH HELPED THEM GET A GOOD INSIGHT ON ECONOMIC REPORTING 
IN THE U.S. THEY WERE PLEASED THAT THE TOUR PROVIDED THEM 
WITH A VALUABLE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH U.S. GOVERNMENT AND 
MEDIA OFFICIALS TO EXCHANGE VIEWS AND TO UNDERSTAND MORE 
ABOUT U.S. ECONOMIC POLICY AND JOURNALISM IN THE U.S.  THEY 
VALUED, IN PARTICULAR, THEIR INTERACTION WITH THE ARAB AND 
MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN CHICAGO AND NEW YORK CITY.  BOTH MS. 
ABDUL HAQ AND MS. AL HADIDI WISHED THAT THE TOUR WAS THREE 
WEEKS INSTEAD OF TWO WEEKS LONG TO HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO GRASP 
EVERYTHING THEY LEARNED AND TO PROVIDE THEIR OWN FEED BACK 
ON EACH LEG OF THE TOUR. END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES:  THE FOREIGN PRESS CENTER'S 
BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC REPORTING TOUR TOOK PLACE SEPTEMBER 15- 
28, 2002.  THE ITINERARY INCLUDED WASHINGTON D.C.; CHICAGO 
AND NEW YORK. 
 
3.  DATES/FISCAL YEAR/QUARTER:  SEPTEMBER 15-28, 2002; FY 
02; FOURTH QUARTER. 
 
4.  JUSTIFICATION AND OBJECTIVES: 
 
POST NOMINATED TWO YOUNG REPORTERS WHO ARE AVID REPORTERS ON 
JORDANIAN-AMERICAN ECONOMIC AND TRADE RELATIONS, INCLUDING 
BILATERAL AGREEMENT SIGNINGS OF U.S. ASSISTANCE TO JORDAN. 
HAVING HAD NO PRIOR EXPOSURE TO THE U.S.  SOCIETY AND 
POLITICAL SYSTEM, THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THIS THEMATIC TOUR 
WAS ESSENTIAL TO U.S. MISSION OBJECTIVES. 
 
5.  MPP UMBRELLA THEME;  THE PROGRAM SUPPORTED MPP OBJECTIVE 
ON "DEMOCRACY AND FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION." 
 
6.  RESULTS AND IMPACT:  DESPITE BEING QUITE INTENSIVE, MS. 
ABDUL HAQ AND MS. AL HADIDI FOUND THE TOUR EXCELLENT AND 
VERY USEFUL AS IT PROVIDED THEM WITH WORTHWHILE INSIGHT ON 
U.S. ECONOMIC POLICY AND ECONOMIC/BUSINESS REPORTING. BOTH 
REPORTERS WERE VERY PLEASED WITH ALL THE MEETINGS SCHEDULED 
IN THEIR TOUR. THEY APPRECIATED THE GOOD EFFORTS EXERTED IN 
SETTING UP MEETINGS, HOPING THAT FUTURE PARTICIPANTS WILL 
HAVE MORE TIME BETWEEN EACH MEETING OR EVENT TO ORGANIZE 
THEIR THOUGHTS AND TO REFLECT ON THE OUTCOME. BOTH REPORTERS 
HIGHLY VALUED THEIR VISITS TO VARIOUS NEWSPAPERS AND TV 
STATIONS. SOMETIMES THEY FELT THAT CERTAIN U.S. OFFICIALS 
AND NEWSPAPER EDITORS LACKED PREPAREDNESS IN RESPONDING TO 
PARTICIPANTS' QUESTIONS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE ANSWER INVOLVED 
NUMBERS AND FIGURES ON U.S. ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE TO THE 
MIDDLE EAST. 
 
THEY ALSO LEARNED A GREAT DEAL FROM INTERACTING WITH THE 
ARAB AND MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN CHICAGO AND NEW YORK CITY, AND 
WERE VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE SUCCESS OF SO MANY BUSINESSES 
RUN BY ARAB AMERICANS IN THE UNITED STATES. HAVING HAD NO 
PRIOR EXPOSURE TO U.S. SOCIETY, BOTH REPORTERS WERE ALSO 
IMPRESSED WITH THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION THE AMERICAN PEOPLE 
ENJOY AND THE SIGNS OF PATRIOTISM THEY DISPLAY EVERYWHERE IN 
THE WAKE OF 9/11. 
 
MS. ABDUL HAQ AND MS. AL HADIDI WOULD HAVE LIKED TO MEET 
WITH U.S. GROUPS AND FIGURES THAT OPPOSE U.S. POLICY IN THE 
MIDDLE EAST TO GET THE FULL PICTURE ON HOW PEOPLE VIEW THIS 
MATTER. THEY ALSO QUESTIONED THE SELECTION OF SEVERAL OF THE 
PARTICIPANTS, NOTING THAT TWO OF THEM WERE NOT ECONOMIC AND 
BUSINESS REPORTERS, AND DID NOT APPEAR TO RELATE TO THE 
CONTENTS OF THE TOUR. 
 
BOTH REPORTERS WERE NOT TOO HAPPY BY WHAT THEY VIEWED AS 
STRICT SECURITY MEASURES, PARTICULARLY THE PHYSICAL 
INSPECTIONS THEY HAD TO GO THROUGH AT U.S. AIRPORTS. 
HOWEVER, THEY WERE WELL AWARE THAT THOSE MEASURES ARE VERY 
IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF CITIZENS AND 
VISITORS ALIKE. 
 
MEDIA COVERAGE:  DURING THE TOUR, MS. ABDUL HAQ FILED FIVE 
STORIES IN ARABIC, ALL OF WHICH WERE PUBLISHED IN AL-ARAB AL- 
YAWM.  MS. AL HADIDI FILED SIX STORIES IN ARABIC. POST WILL 
PROVIDE A COPY OF EACH OF THESE STORIES. THE FOLLOWING ARE 
HEADLINES OF MS. ABDUL HAQ'S STORIES PUBLISHED IN AL-ARAB AL- 
YAWM: 
 
 
SEPTEMBER 19: 
 
"THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION FREEZES $112 MILLION IN ASSETS 
SUSPECTED OF CONNECTION TO TERRORISM" 
 
"THE MONEY BELONGS TO 236 INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS 
WORLDWIDE" 
 
SEPTEMBER 20: 
 
"OFFICIALS FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENTS OF STATE AND COMMERCE 
SAY THAT ECONOMIC RELATIONS WITH THE ARAB WORLD HAVE 
DETERIORATED BECAUSE OF THE RECEDING U.S. ECONOMY" 
 
"A STRIKE AGAINST IRAQ WILL AFFECT NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES" 
 
SEPTEMBER 26: 
 
"THE ARAB LEAGUE IS DISCUSSING A JOINT ARAB-AMERICAN 
ECONOMIC CONFERENCE IN DETROIT NEXT MAY 15-17" 
 
SEPTEMBER 28: 
 
"DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR, JORDAN IS IN 85TH PLACE 
ON THE LIST OF EXPORTERS TO THE UNITED STATES" 
 
OCTOBER 3: 
 
"ARAB BUSINESSMEN ACHIEVE A BANKING SUCCESS STORY IN 
AMERICA" 
 
7. QUALITY OF US. SUPPORT:  EXCELLENT.  BOTH PARTICIPANTS 
APPRECIATED THE HARD WORK PUT INTO THIS PROGRAM.  THEY 
HIGHLY COMMENDED MR. ALGIS SILAS FROM THE FPC FOR HIS 
ENTHUSIASM AND DILIGENCE.  THEY WERE ALSO IMPRESSED WITH THE 
PROFESSIONALISM OF THE ESCORT/INTERPRETER TEAM. 
GNEHM