US embassy cable - 03AMMAN1531

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001531 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR, 
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN 
USAID/ANE/MEA 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
USCINCCENT//CCPA, USCENTCOM REAR MACDILL AFB FL 
STATE PASS TO AID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KMDR JO 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- Lead stories in all papers today, March 13, 
continue to focus on Iraq developments, in particular 
reports of a new British "6-point plan" to disarm Iraq 
and avoid war. 
 
                Editorial Commentaries 
 
-- "The American mother of all bombs" 
 
Columnist Mohammad Amayreh writes on the op-ed page of 
semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai 
(03/13):  "A weird discrepancy and strange 
contradiction exists in the world, because those who 
actually own the lethal and genuine weapons of mass 
destruction are coming to Iraq to disarm it of weapons 
they claim have mass destruction capabilities..  They 
want us to believe that their upcoming `picnic' is in 
our best interest, to defend people, to set new rules 
for democracy, freedom, justice and human rights, and 
to relieve the Iraqi people of the rule of Saddam 
Hussein.  They want us to believe that the `thief' is 
the `protector'.  If they are really concerned, then 
where is their stand towards the Palestinian people? 
Why do they ignore Sharon's daily crimes and allow him 
to do whatever he wants with this unarmed people? 
What happened to their promises of resolving the 
Palestinian issue?  In fact, where is the `roadmap' 
that they set up, and why are they not here protecting 
the Palestinian people?" 
 
-- "We do not hate anyone, but." 
 
Daily columnist Musa Hawamdeh writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(03/13):  "In dialogues and discussions about the 
Arabs and the West, the Arab interlocutor always ends 
up with the sudden question: why do you hate us?  This 
issue does not require dialogues or seminars.  The 
facts on the ground prove the aggressiveness, even 
brutality, of the other [the West] towards us.  It is 
not a matter of love or hate, but a defense of the 
self, of existence and being.  When the United States 
stands with all its might in support of Israel, and 
rallies its armies and fleets to strike Iraq, while 
Bush describes this strike as indispensable because it 
stops Iraq from threatening Israel, then it is not 
about love or hate.  It is about resisting or 
surrendering." 
 
-- "Iraqi opposition or American colonization?" 
 
Daily columnist Bater Wardam writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(03/13):  "Are we eventually going to end up 
contemplating that it might be better for Iraq's 
territorial unity and peace among the Iraqis if there 
is an American governor, not an Iraqi one, in place in 
the initial stages that follow the regime change?  It 
is a regretful question with a regretful answer, 
particularly if we take into consideration the welfare 
of the Iraqi people, their security and their life and 
Iraq's unity.  We are not going to get carried away in 
thinking about issues after the war, because the main 
idea here is to prevent the war itself.  However, 
seeing the Iraqi opposition makes us afraid of what 
these ill-intentioned people who are filled with a 
spirit of hate and vengeance might do.  The people of 
Iraq, of course, deserve a better future, but the 
Iraqi opposition, with its current formation cannot be 
the right replacement..  It is a moral disaster for us 
to reach a stage where we think that a temporary 
American military administration would be better for 
the Iraqi people than the complications of the 
opposition or the desires of Arab and Muslim 
neighboring countries.  We say this regretfully but 
also candidly and frankly." 
GNEHM