US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI629

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000629 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/P, INR 
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: SECRETARY POWELL'S FEBRUARY 5 UNSC 
SPEECH 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE SPEECH OF SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL WAS 
WIDELY COVERED IN THE UAE'S PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA.  ABU 
DHABI TV CARRIED THE SPEECH LIVE WITH ARABIC TRANSLATION. 
HEADLINES IN SEMI-OFFICIAL "AL-ITTIHAD" DESCRIBED THE SPEECH AS 
"A DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST IRAQ," AND ITS EDITORIAL DECLARED 
THAT POWELL'S PRESENTATION LEAVES NO ROOM FOR THE IRAQI REGIME TO 
MANEUVER ANY FURTHER.  "AL-BAYAN" CALLED THE SPEECH AS "PROOF 
WHICH NEEDS PROOF".  AL-KHALEEJ" BANNERED THAT POWELL "PRESENTED 
EVIDENCE OF (US) AGGRESSION".  EDITORIALS IN "AL-KHALEEJ" AND "AL- 
BAYAN" CLAIMED THAT THE EVIDENCE IS NOT SUFFICIENT AND DOES NOT 
JUSTIFY WAR.  HOWEVER, "AL-ITTIHAD" WARNED IRAQ OF GRAVE 
CONSEQUENCES UNLESS BAGHDAD STOPS ITS MANEUVERING .  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "THE FINAL INDICTMENT PROCEDURE," ABU 
DHABI-BASED SEMI-OFFICIAL ARABIC DAILY "AL-ITTIHAD", WHICH 
GENERALLY REFLECTS GOVERNMENT VIEWS, EDITORIALIZED 2/6: 
 
"WHAT CAME IN POWELL'S LONG SUBMISSION TO THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL 
IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS; IT GOES BEYOND SPEECHES AND MOBILIZATION 
TO PAVE THE WAY FOR THE ACTUAL USE OF FORCE TO ELIMINATE IRAQ'S 
WMD THAT ARE CAREFULLY HIDDEN IN MOBILE CONTAINERS AND 
CAMOUFLAGED POSITIONS IN IRAQ.... 
 
"THE AMERICAN SUBMISSION REFLECTS THE LIMITATIONS OF THE 
INSPECTORS' POWER AND THEIR INABILITY TO MONITOR, PURSUE AND 
CONTROL MOBILE BANNED WEAPONS IN A COUNTRY WHERE THE REGIME HAS 
LONG EXPERIENCE IN THE ARTS OF SURVIVAL, DESPITE THE CONTINUOUS 
WAR IT HAS BEEN WAGING AGAINST ITS PEOPLE AND ITS NEIGHBORS EVER 
SINCE IT CAME TO POWER IN THE SIXTIES.  THE AMERICAN SUBMISSION, 
SUPPORTED BY IMAGES, PHONE INTERCEPTS, AND DETAILED CHARTS, LEFT 
NO ROOM FOR EXTENDING THE INSPECTORS' MISSION AND PUT EXTENSIVE 
PRESSURE ON THE SECURITY COUNCIL TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO 
IMPLEMENT THE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES WHICH THE UNSC WARNED OF IF 
1441 WAS VIOLATED. IT ALSO NARROWED BAGHDAD'S MARGIN FOR MANEUVER 
AND CLOSED THE DOOR OF EVASIONS AND PROCRASTINATION WHICH BAGHDAD 
USED IN THE PAST AS A WAY OUT OF ITS REPEATED CRISES WITH THE UN 
AND ITS INSPECTORS." 
 
"THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT POWELL'S PRESENTATION HAS OPENED THE 
IRAQI CRISIS UP TO CATASTROPHIC POSSIBILITIES UNLESS BAGHDAD 
STOPS ITS EFFORTS TO HIDE AND ELIMINATE ANY TRACE OF ITS BANNED 
WEAPONS AND TAKES A STEP TOWARDS CLEARING THE HUGE CONGESTION 
WHICH THREATENS TO EXPLODE.  ONLY THEN WILL IT GAIN THE SUPPORT 
OF THE WORLD COMMUNITY WHICH SEEKS TO AVERT WAR BY ALL AVAILABLE 
MEANS." 
 
3.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "EVIDENCE WHICH NEEDS SOMEONE TO BELIEVE 
IT," SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ," KNOWN FOR ITS 
VOCIFEROUS ANTI-AMERICAN RHETORIC, EDITORIALIZED: 
 
"THE U.S. IS ENDEAVORING TO PREPARE DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL 
THEATERS FOR THE WAR IT IS READYING TO LAUNCH AGAINST IRAQ... 
POWELL'S SPEECH BEFORE THE UNSC YESTERDAY COMES WITHIN THE 
FRAMEWORK OF SPEEDING UP THE AGGRESSION, ESPECIALLY AFTER HE 
DELIBERATELY SHOWED SATELLITE IMAGES AND PHONE CONVERSATIONS IN 
AN ATTEMPT TO DEMONSTRATE IRAQ'S VIOLATION OF UNSCR 1441, WHICH 
PERMITS EXPOSING IRAQ TO GRAVE CONSEQUENCES...POWELL AND OTHERS 
WHO BLOW THE TRUMPETS OF WAR CAN PRESENT MORE IMAGES AND PHONE 
CONVERSATIONS.  BUT WHO WOULD BELIEVE THEIR CREDIBILITY, SINCE 
THE U.S. HAS (ALREADY) MADE ITS DECISION AND THE MOBILIZATIONS 
HAVE REACHED THEIR PEAK?  ALL WE UNDERSTOOD FROM POWELL IS THAT 
HE BROUGHT TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL EVIDENCE WHICH NEEDS SOMEONE 
TO BELIEVE IT AND RATIFY IT IN ORDER TO FINALIZE THE WAR TO 
DESTROY IRAQ." 
 
4.  DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED ARABIC DAILY "AL-BAYAN" 
EDITORIALIZED: 
 
"THE EVIDENCE WHICH COLIN POWELL BROUGHT TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL 
MAY REPRESENT THE FIRST SCENE OF THE LAST CHAPTER IN THE IRAQI 
CRISIS.  AFTER THAT MORE INTERESTING SCENES WILL FOLLOW, AS 
AMERICA WANTS ACCORDING TO THE SCENARIOS THAT HAVE BEEN PREPARED 
BEHIND THE SCENES IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE PENTAGON...IT IS 
PREPARATION FOR WAR.  WHETHER THIS EVIDENCE IS TRUE OR 
FABRICATED, IT IS ALL AIMED AT SATISFYING THOSE WHO ARE THIRSTY 
TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR MILITARY MIGHT...WE THANK GOD THAT THERE ARE 
SANE PEOPLE IN THE WEST WHO DO NOT FOLLOW AMERICA SUCH AS FRANCE 
AND GERMANY...WHO BELIEVE THAT THE INSPECTORS MUST BE ALLOWED 
TIME TO EVALUATE POWELL'S EVIDENCE...THIS IS HOW THE VOICES OF 
REASON ARE HEARD BY THE WORLD COMMUNITY, WHOSE EARS HAVE NOT 
RECEIVED FROM THE ARABS ANY WORD AS WEIGHTY AS THOSE OF THE 
FRENCH, THE GERMANS AND THE RUSSIANS." 
 
WILLIAMS