US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI1124

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001124 
 
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:  MARCH 7 UN SECURITY COUNCIL 
DELIBERATIONS, ISRAEL, AND THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  DELIBERATIONS AT THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND RECENT 
ESCALATIONS IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES RECEIVED PROMINENT 
COVERAGE IN LOCAL MEDIA.  NEWS REPORTING AND EDITORIALS WIDELY 
ASSERT THAT THE U.S. IS DETERMINED TO ATTACK IRAQ REGARDLESS OF 
THE OUTCOME OF THE VOTING AT THE UN.  AN "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIAL 
CLAIMED THAT THE U.S. IS PLANNING TO DIVIDE IRAQ, AND OTHER ARAB 
COUNTRIES LATER, INTO ETHNIC AND SECTARIAN ENTITIES.  OTHER 
EDITORIALS CRITICIZED THE MILD U.S. REACTION TOWARDS ISRAELI 
KILLINGS OF PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  LOCAL AND REGIONAL PRINT AND BROADCAST MEDIA FEATURED 
COVERAGE AND REACTION TO RECENT REMARKS ON IRAQ BY SECRETARY 
POWELL AT THE CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND 
PRESIDENT BUSH DURING THE MARCH 6 WHITE HOUSE PRESS CONFERENCE. 
ABU DHABI TV, AL JAZEERA, THE MIDDLE EAST BROADCAST CENTER (MBC), 
AND NEW ARABIC NEWS CHANNEL, AL ARABIYYA, CARRIED LIVE COVERAGE 
OF THE MARCH 7TH UNSC DELIBERATIONS WITH COMMENTARY IN ADDITION 
TO ANALYSIS OF SECRETARY POWELL'S AND PRESIDENT BUSH'S RECENT 
REMARKS. 
 
3.  COMMENTING ON ALLEGED U.S. PLANS FOR IRAQ AFTER THE 
ANTICIPATED ATTACKS, SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB "AL KHALEEJ" 
EDITORIALIZED ON 3/09: 
 
"... AMERICAN OFFICIALS REVEALED THAT IRAQ WILL BE DIVIDED INTO 
THREE AREAS:  NORTHERN, MIDDLE, AND SOUTHERN.  THESE WILL BE 
UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THREE AMERICANS:  THE PREVIOUS AMERICAN 
AMBASSADOR TO YEMEN, BARBARA BODINE, AND TWO RETIRED U.S. 
GENERALS.  THIS ... WILL ALSO DIVIDE IT INTO ETHNIC AND SECTARIAN 
ENTITIES, WHICH WILL LEAD TO A CIVIL WAR THAT WILL DESTROY 
WHATEVER IS LEFT OF IRAQ.  THIS IS A SAMPLE OF WHAT AWAITS OTHER 
ARAB COUNTRIES, AS IT IS A ZIONIST PLAN, DRAFTED FOR THE AMERICAN 
STRATEGY IN THE MIDDLE EAST FOR THE PERIOD AFTER 9/11, IN ORDER 
TO RESHAPE THE REGION GEOGRAPHICALLY AND POLITICALLY IN 
ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICAN AND ISRAELI INTERESTS ..." 
 
4.  COMMENTING ON THE MARCH 7TH UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING, "AL 
KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/08: 
 
"... FRANCE, RUSSIA, CHINA, GERMANY, AND ALL ARAB AND ISLAMIC 
SUMMITS SAY:  'NO TO WAR.'  PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD HAD AND ARE 
STILL HAVING ANTI-WAR DEMONSTRATIONS.  DESPITE ALL THIS, THE ONLY 
THING THAT THE U.S. CAN THINK OF IS FABRICATING EXCUSES FOR ITS 
ATTACKS AGAINST IRAQ.  THE MEANING OF ALL THIS WAS SUMMARIZED BY 
THE SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WHEN HE SAID:  'IT'S JUST ARMED 
BURGLARY' AND NOTHING ELSE.  GEORGE BUSH'S REMARKS (INDICATING) 
NO REQUIREMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL AUTHORIZATION CONFIRM THIS.  THE 
BURGLARY BEGINS WITH THE ASSASSINATION OF INTERNATIONAL 
LEGITIMACY, WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE IN ARAB ISSUES.  WHAT 
IS HAPPENING IN PALESTINE AND WILL HAPPEN IN IRAQ ARE GOOD 
EXAMPLES OF THAT." 
 
5.  UNDER THE HEADLINE 'BUSH'S COWBOY MENTALITY,' DUBAI-BASED 
BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/08: 
 
"... PRESIDENT BUSH ANNOUNCED: 'IF WE NEED TO TAKE ANY ACTION 
AGAINST IRAQ, WE DEFINITELY WILL, WITHOUT UN APPROVAL.'  THE 
RIGHT TRANSLATION OF THIS IS:  IF THE UN DOES NOT ABIDE BY OUR 
ORDERS AND DOES NOT APPROVE THE KILLING OF IRAQ, THEN THERE IS NO 
NEED FOR IT (THE UNITED NATIONS) AND EVERY MEMBER SHOULD JUST 
LEAVE NEW YORK AND GO BACK TO WHERE S/HE CAME FROM ..." 
 
6.  COMMENTING ON THE U.S. SILENCE TOWARDS THE SITUATION IN 
PALESTINE, ABU DHABI-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AKHBAR AL ARAB" 
EDITORIALIZED ON 3/08: 
 
"... THE U.S. SILENCE TOWARDS THE CRIMES COMMITTED BY THE BUTCHER 
SHARON AND THE GANG OF KILLERS AROUND HIM MUST BE CONSIDERED 
COLLUSION.  IN FACT, CLOSING THE EYE FROM THE BLOODSHED TAKING 
PLACE IN PALESTINE REPRESENTS AN ACTUAL PARTICIPATION IN THE 
CONTINUOUS CRIME AGAINST OUR BROTHERS IN OCCUPIED PALESTINE ..." 
 
7.  COMMENTING ON THE SUICIDE OPERATION IN HAIFA, "AL KHALEEJ" 
EDITORIALIZED ON 3/07: 
 
"... THE HEROIC OPERATION IN HAIFA PROVED WITH NO DOUBT THAT ALL 
ISRAELI GAMBLES ARE ALWAYS DOOMED TO FAILURE AND THAT NO 
COLONIALIST WILL BE SAFE OR SECURE AS LONG AS THE OCCUPATION AND 
ATTACKS ARE STILL GOING ON ..." 
 
8.  DESCRIBING THE UAE INITIATIVE AS 'THE SAFE EXIT,' ABU DHABI- 
BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/07: 
 
"... IN RESPECT TO THE GIVEN FACTS, THE UAE INITIATIVE IS THE 
MOST PRACTICAL PROPOSAL AND PRECIOUS ADVISE THAT COULD SAVE FACE 
FOR ALL PARTIES.  IT REPRESENTS A SAFE EXIT, WHICH WILL RESCUE 
EVERYONE FROM THE CRISIS.  IT IS ALSO THE ONLY WAY TO REMOVE THE 
SPECTER OF WAR AND DESTRUCTION FROM IRAQ." 
 
9.  COMMENTING ON THE SITUATION IN PALESTINE AND THE 
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS SUICIDE BOMBINGS, "AL 
BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/07: 
 
"... IT WON'T BE A SURPRISE IF WE ARE TOLD THAT THE BUTCHER 
SHARON HAS ORDERED MORE MASSACRES AND MORE PALESTINIAN TRANSFERS 
AND BANISHMENTS.  ARABS' PREOCCUPATION WITH THE IRAQI CRISIS 
SHOULD NOT MAKE THEM INADVERTENT OF THE ISRAELI CRIMES.  AN 
UNIFIED ARAB MOVE TO PROTECT AND SAVE THE PALESTINIANS FROM DAILY 
ANNIHILATION IS NEEDED." 
 
10.  COMPARING THE RESOLUTIONS OF THE RECENT OIC SUMMIT AND NAM 
CONFERENCE, "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/06: 
 
"... THE TIME HAS COME FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S 
SEPARATION BETWEEN 'EVIL', SYMBOLIZED BY U.S. AND ITS ALLIES, AND 
'GOOD', SYMBOLIZED BY PROMOTERS OF PEACE SUCH AS FRANCE, RUSSIA, 
GERMANY, AND THEIR ALLIES, IN ORDER TO CREATE A NEW MULTI-POLAR 
WORLD.  THE BATTLE IS STILL AT ITS BEGINNING, SO THE ARABS AND 
MUSLIMS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A SAY IN ACTIONS AND NOT IN WORDS 
ONLY." 
 
11.  CRITICIZING THE OIC SUMMIT'S RESOLUTIONS, "AL ITTIHAD" 
EDITORIALIZED ON 3/06: 
 
"... THE DOHA SUMMIT FOLLOWED THE FOOTSTEPS OF ALL OTHER ARAB AND 
ISLAMIC SUMMITS IN ANNOUNCING MANY ENTHUSIASTIC RESOLUTIONS 
WITHOUT A SOLUTION FOR THE COMPLICATED AND DANGEROUS ISSUES THAT 
MIGHT AFFECT THE ARAB AND ISLAMIC WORLD ..." 
 
WAHBA