US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI506

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000506 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, INR, NEA/RA 
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA 
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH; PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, TC 
SUBJECT:  MEDIA REACTION:  STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  LOCAL AND REGIONAL MEDIA COVERED PRESIDENT BUSH'S 
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS EXTENSIVELY, UNDERSCORING HIS REMARKS 
ON THE NEED FOR IRAQ TO DISARM OR BEAR THE CONSEQUENCES.  ABU 
DHABI TV CARRIED THE SPEECH LIVE WITH SIMULTANEOUS ARABIC 
TRANSLATION, WHILE DUBAI TV ALSO REPORTED THE SPEECH.  EDITORIALS 
IN THE ARABIC PRESS WERE LARGELY CRITICAL OF THE STATE OF THE 
UNION.  "AL-ITTIHAD" DID NOT BELIEVE THE U.S. HAD ALLOWED 
SUFFICIENT TIME FOR EFFECTIVE DIPLOMACY.  MEANWHILE, "AL-KHALEEJ" 
CLAIMED THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS DIRECTLY COMPLEMENTS ISRAELI 
PRIME MINISTER SHARON'S ELECTORAL VICTORY AND WAR AGAINST 
PALESTINIANS AND ARABS.  AN "AL-BAYAN" EDITORIAL ALSO VIEWED THE 
SPEECH'S NEGLECT FOR THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS AS A GREEN 
LIGHT FOR SHARON TO DESTROY THE PALESTINIANS.  PROVIDING A MORE 
BALANCED VIEW OF THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH, "GULF NEWS" NOTED 
PRESIDENT BUSH INTENDS TO CONSULT THE UN ON THE MEANS TO INCREASE 
THE PRESSURE ON BAGHDAD TO COMPLY.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  COMMENTING ON PRESIDENT BUSH'S ADDRESS, SEMI-OFFICIAL ABU 
DHABI-BASED ARABIC DAILY "AL-ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED ON 1/30: 
 
"PRESIDENT BUSH HAS LEFT THE DOOR CLOSED FOR A DIPLOMATIC 
BREAKTHROUGH IN THE IRAQI CRISIS, WHICH IS ABOUT TO ENTER ITS 
LATEST AND MOST DANGEROUS TURNING POINT.  HOWEVER, BUSH HAS NOT 
ALLOWED ENOUGH TIME TO REACH A [DIPLOMATIC] SOLUTION FOR A 
COMPLICATED ISSUE.   THE AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION HAS TIGHTENED 
THE MILITARY AND DIPLOMATIC NOOSE AROUND BAGHDAD ... THE MILITARY 
PREPARATIONS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY INDICATE THAT WAR IS QUICKLY 
APPROACHING UNLESS THE WORLD COMMUNITY SPEEDS UP AN EFFORT TO 
AVERT IT..." 
 
3.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "BUSH'S SPEECH COMPLETES SHARON'S 
VICTORY," SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 
ON 1/30: 
 
"BUSH'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS AND SHARON'S SWEEPING VICTORY 
IN THE ISRAELI ELECTIONS COME AT THE SAME TIME AND COMPLETE ONE 
ANOTHER IN THE WAR AGAINST ARABS ... THE WAR AGAINST THE ARABS IS 
THE IMPLICIT NAME FOR THE WAR ON TERRORISM.  THE INSPECTORS OF 
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT DID NOT FIND ANY EVIDENCE AGAINST IRAQ, 
SO, INSTEAD, HE TRIED TO LINK IRAQ WITH AL QAEDA ... TO KEEP IRAQ 
WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF HIS WAR AGAINST TERRORISM OR ELSE ... 
BUSH'S SPEECH AND SHARON'S VICTORY PAVE THE WAY FOR A NEW ERA OF 
WARS AND MASSACRES." 
 
4.  AS PART OF TWO FULL PAGES OF WORD-FOR-WORD ANALYSIS AND THE 
HEADLINE "BUSH IS ADDRESSING YOU," DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED 
ARABIC DAILY "AL-BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED ON 1/30: 
 
"IT SEEMS THAT THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE HAS BEEN LOST FROM BUSH'S 
CALCULATIONS.  IN HIS ANNUAL SPEECH, BUSH ONLY SPOKE ONE SENTENCE 
ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST [PEACE PROCESS] ... THIS EXPLAINS THAT THE 
ISSUE HAS BECOME MARGINAL TO THE AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION, WHICH 
IS BUSY MOBILIZING THE ENTIRE WORLD FOR A WAR AGAINST IRAQ. 
WASHINGTON'S NEGLIGENCE REPRESENTS A GREEN LIGHT FOR SHARON TO DO 
WHAT HE WANTS AGAINST THE PALESTINIANS..." 
 
5.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "BUSH THROWS GAUNTLET DOWN," DUBAI-BASED 
ENGLISH DAILY "GULF NEWS" EDITORIALIZED ON 1/30: 
 
"BUSH'S COMMENTS ON IRAQ WERE EAGERLY ANTICIPATED.  BUSH DID NOT 
DISAPPOINT.  HE TOOK TIME TO CAREFULLY LAY OUT THE AREAS OF 
DEFAULT, AS IF GIVING REASON OF AN INTENTION TO WAGE WAR AGAINST 
IRAQ, RATHER THAN MAKING A DECLARATION OF WAR ... FOR BUSH HAS 
EVERY INTENTION OF DEFERRING TO THE UN AS HE INTENDS ASKING FOR A 
SPECIAL MEETING ON FEBRUARY 5, BY WHICH TIME IT IS ANTICIPATED 
THAT HE WILL HAVE ARRIVED AT A DECISION ON WHETHER TO IMPLEMENT 
WAR LATER THAT SAME MONTH ... WITH BUSH ALSO PROMISING THE 
DISCLOSURE OF SECRET INTELLIGENCE AT THE MEETING, TO PROVE THE 
CHARGES HE - AND BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR - HAS BEEN 
MAKING, THE PRESSURE ON IRAQ IS INCREASING." 
 
WAHBA