US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI4601

UNCLAS TAIPEI 004601 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - ERIC 
BARBORIAK 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, KMDR, KPAO, TW 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: SUICIDE BOMBINGS IN JORDAN 
 
 
1. Summary: As major Chinese-language Taipei dailies 
continued to report November 16 on the upcoming 3-in-1 
elections and local scandals, coverage also focused on a 
Reuters report which quoted the British Department of 
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as saying more than 50 
birds imported from Taiwan in September died and were found 
to have been infected with the H5N1 virus.  In other news, 
both the pro-independence "Liberty Times" and Taiwan Daily" 
carried in their inside pages a latest poll survey released 
by Taiwan's Defense Ministry, which showed that 47.6 percent 
of the Taiwan public supports the passage of the U.S. arms 
procurement deal in the Legislative Yuan while 37.8 percent 
opposes it.  The centrist "China Times" and pro-unification 
"United Daily News," instead of carrying Western wire 
service news, are the only newspapers that provided straight 
news coverage of U.S. President George W. Bush's trip to 
Asia. 
 
2. Former National Security Council Vice Secretary-General 
Antonio Chiang discussed the recent suicide bombing in 
Jordon in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily."  According to 
Chiang, if Jordon, like Iraq, also turns out to be a major 
target of terrorist attacks, no other Middle East countries 
will be spared from these attacks.  End summary. 
 
"Suicide Bombers in Jordan" 
 
Antonio Chiang, former Vice Secretary-General of the 
National Security Council, commented in the mass-circulation 
"Apple Daily" [circulation: 500,000] (11/16): 
 
". The Jordanian people are in general against the United 
States, whereas their government is pro-U.S.  The recent 
suicide bombing was thus perhaps a price that the pro-U.S. 
Jordanian government has to pay.  Terrorist activities like 
this have enraged the [Jordanian] people, who vowed to fight 
the terrorists.  This sort of battle against terrorism 
happens to coincide with Uncle Sam's anti-terrorist position 
and therefore creates an awkward situation. 
 
"Even though Iraq is still at war now, it is also becoming a 
special training center for terrorist organizations. 
Various [terrorist] groups were trained in Iraq and they 
started to look for targets to attack both inside Iraq and 
in neighboring areas.  Countries that have suffered 
terrorist attacks gravely, such as Jordon and Egypt, are now 
facing a tough choice between the fight against terrorism 
and whether they should take a pro- or anti-U.S. position. . 
 
"If Jordon also turns out to be a major target of terrorist 
attacks, no other Middle East countries will be spared [from 
the attacks]."' 
 
PAAL