US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI725

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000725 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, NEA/RA, 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:  MORE ON POWELL'S UNSC SPEECH AND MEPI 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  LOCAL NEWSPAPERS CONTINUED TO REPORT EXTENSIVELY ON 
SECRETARY POWELL'S SPEECH AT THE UNSC.  EDITORIALS IN THE ARABIC 
 
SIPDIS 
DAILIES NOTE THAT THE U.S. IS PLANNING TO ATTACK IRAQ IN ORDER TO 
CONTROL ARAB AND IRAQI RESOURCES, MAINLY OIL.  THE EDITORIALS 
ALSO CLAIM THAT THE ATTACK WOULD RESULT IN RESHAPING THE ENTIRE 
REGION ACCORDING TO AMERICAN AND ISRAELI INTERESTS.  MEANWHILE, 
AN AL BAYAN EDITORIAL CALLED ON ARABS TO WAKE UP BEFORE IT IS TOO 
LATE.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  COMMENT:  FOLLOWING THE SECRETARY'S PRESENTATION AT THE UN, 
AL-ITTIHAD, THE SEMI-OFFICIAL ARABIC DAILY MOST LIKELY TO MIRROR 
OFFICIAL THINKING, HAS BEEN MARKEDLY LESS NEGATIVE REGARDING USG 
POLICIES TOWARDS IRAQ THAN THE OTHER, MORE DOGMATIC LOCAL ARABIC 
DAILIES.  AL-ITTIHAD IS RUNNING COMMENTARIES AND COVERAGE 
CRITICAL OF THE IRAQI REGIME, MANY OF WHICH LARGELY BLAME THE 
CURRENT CRISIS ON SADDAM HUSSEIN AND NOT THE US ADMINISTRATION. 
END COMMENT. 
 
3.  UNDER THE HEADLINE, "RESHAPING THE REGION," ABU DHABI-BASED 
PAN-ARAB DAILY "AKHBAR AL-ARAB" 2/8 EDITORIALIZED: 
 
"WITH A RUDE FRANKNESS AND CLEAR WORDS, SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN 
POWELL DEFINED THE REAL GOALS FOR HIS NATION'S IMPULSE TO ATTACK 
IRAQ, THE REARRANGEMENT OF THE MIDDLE EAST IN ACCORDANCE TO U.S. 
INTERESTS.  THE OBJECTIVES OF INVADING AND OCCUPYING IRAQ ARE NOT 
VIRTUAL ASSUMPTIONS ANYMORE.  SECRETARY POWELL HAS DISCARDED THE 
FAADE OF A DOVE AND JOINED THE HAWKS HAS PLACED THE IMMINENT WAR 
ON TRACK.  WE HOPE THAT POWELL'S FRANKNESS WOULD PERSUADE THE 
DOUBTFUL AND DECEIVED WITH GOOD AMERICAN INTENTIONS.  THE GOAL OF 
THE WAR GOES BEYOND IRAQ AND IS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF A LAUNCHING 
PAD TO RESHAPE THE REGION, ITS BORDERS, AND ITS REGIMES, IN 
ACCORDANCE WITH AMERICAN INTERESTS WITH CONSIDERATION FOR ISRAELI 
ASPIRATIONS AND AMBITIONS TO DOMINATE THE REGION AND CONTROL ITS 
RESOURCES..." 
 
4.  THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL- 
BAYAN" ON 2/8 WROTE IN A FRONT-PAGE EDITORIAL: 
 
"... IRAQ MUST KNOW THAT IT IS USING ITS SPARE TIME.  THE RESULT 
IS BEING DECIDED.  POWELL'S SPEECH BEFORE THE UNSC WAS A WAR 
MESSAGE AND MUST BE UNDERSTOOD BY IRAQ AS SUCH ... THE COUNTDOWN 
FOR THE WAR IS AWAITING THE COMPLETED ARRIVAL OF AMERICAN TROOPS 
AFTER TWO WEEKS ... THE WAR THIS TIME WILL TAKE PLACE ON IRAQI 
SOIL AND IS UNDOUBTEDLY DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS IRAQI WARS, THE 
GULF WAR, AND THE WAR WITH IRAN, WHERE MOST OF THE BATTLES 
OCCURRED OUTSIDE IRAQ.  IT MEANS DESTROYING EVERYTHING ON THE 
GROUND, AND IRAQ WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STAND IN THE FACE OF AN 
AMERICAN ARSENAL EQUIPPED WITH THE MOST SOPHISTICATED AND MODERN 
MACHINES ... THE U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE SAYS THAT THE WAR ON 
IRAQ WOULD CAUSE SOME TROUBLE BUT THAT ALL TROUBLES WOULD BE 
EASED WITH OIL.  THE SUCCESS IN IRAQ WILL INCREASE AMERICA'S 
APPETITE TO SWALLOW THE REST OF THE CAKE.  AMERICA'S AMBITIONS 
AND AGENDA ARE NOT SECRET ANYMORE.  THEY STATE IT PUBLICLY IN ALL 
MEDIA.  THEIR SUCCESS IN IRAQ AND THE FALL OF BAGHDAD WILL LEAD 
INTO RESHAPING THE REGION FUNDAMENTALLY AND POSITIVELY." 
 
5.  SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED ON 
2/8: 
 
"IS THERE A COMMON FACTOR THAT LINKS THE PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE 
FOR DEMOCRACY PROPOSED BY WASHINGTON FOR THE SO-CALLED REFORM OF 
THE ARAB WORLD AND THE AGGRESSION WASHINGTON AND LONDON ARE 
PLANNING TO WAGE AGAINST IRAQ?  THE GOAL IS ONE: RESHAPING THE 
ARAB REGION FUNDAMENTALLY ACCORDING TO U.S. INTERESTS INCLUDING 
THOSE OF ISRAEL ... AMERICA WILL TURN IRAQ IN PARTICULAR AND THE 
ARAB NATIONS IN GENERAL INTO EARTHENWARE WHERE THE POTTER CAN 
DECIDE THEIR FORM, SHAPE, SIZE AND WEIGHT.  THE ISSUE IS NOT OF 
ALLEGED WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION WHICH AMERICA, BRITAIN, AND 
ISRAEL WANT TO ELIMINATE BUT TO TAKE CONTROL OF ARAB DESTINY AND 
REDRAW IT TO SUIT THEIR NEW COLONIAL GREED..." 
 
6.  TAKING A TOUGH LINE AGAINST THE US, AN "AL BAYAN" EDITORIAL 
COMMENTED ON 2/9: 
 
"ARAB REACTION TO POWELL'S PRESENTATION ADDED FRESH EVIDENCE OF 
THE ARAB REGIME'S WEAKNESS IN FRONT OF THE US OFFENCE TO 
DISMEMBER AND REMAKE THE MIDDLE EAST ... WE HEARD NO BOLD ARAB 
REACTION TO POWELL'S THREATS TO ATTACK IRAQ AND HIS FABRICATED 
EVIDENCE ON BAGHDAD'S ALLEGED WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.  IT IS 
REGRETTABLE THAT THERE WAS NO ARAB REACTION TO EXPOSE POWELL'S 
DRAMA TO INVADE IRAQ.  UNFORTUNATELY, REACTIONS FROM WESTERN 
CAPITOLS (MOSCOW, PARIS, AND BERLIN), ALTHOUGH NOT IN DEFENCE OF 
IRAQ OR ARABS, WERE STRONGER AND MORE DECISIVE THAN THOSE OF ARAB 
CAPITALS BECAUSE THEIR INTERESTS ARE VULNERABLE TO THE 'COWBOY' 
INVASION (PLANNED) BY THE U.S. ... WHILE THESE COUNTRIES ARE 
TRYING TO HAMPER THE US WAR WAGON TO PROTECT THEIR OWN INTERESTS 
IN THE REGION, THE ARABS ARE INVOLVED IN SELLING THE US PROPOSAL 
TO IRAQI PRESIDENT SADDAM HUSSEIN TO EXILE TO AVERT WAR." 
 
WILLIAMS