US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI1266

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 001266 
 
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:  AZORES SUMMIT, IRAQ, AND PRESIDENT 
BUSH'S STATEMENTS 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE AZORES SUMMIT GENERATED EXTENSIVE COVERAGE IN 
LOCAL AND REGIONAL PRINT AND SATELLITE MEDIA.  LOCAL AND REGIONAL 
MEDIA ALSO COVERED THE OPENING CEREMONY OF AND US PARTICIPATION 
IN THE 6TH INTERNATIONAL DEFENSE EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE (IDEX 
2003).  IN AN UNUSUAL EDITORIAL CRITICIZING THE IRAQI REGIME, 'AL 
KHALEEJ' DESCRIBED THE ANTICIPATED WAR AS 'THE THIRD WAR,' 
CLAIMING THAT IRAQ WAS LARGELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CALAMITIES OF 
THE REGION.  OTHER EDITORIALS CONTINUED TO VOICE THEIR DISCONTENT 
WITH US DETERMINATION TO WAGE A WAR AGAINST IRAQ.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT 'AL ITTIHAD' AND DUBAI-BASED 
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE DAILY 'KHALEEJ TIMES' HIGHLIGHTED REMARKS BY 
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UAE MARCELLE WAHBA AT THE IDEX 2003 
OPENING CEREMONY.  ARTICLES QUOTED THE AMBASSADOR'S PRAISE OF UAE 
PRESIDENT SHEIKH ZAYED BIN SULTAN AL NAHYAN'S INITIATIVE FOR A 
PEACEFUL RESOLUTION TO THE CONFLICT WITH IRAQ AS WELL AS HIS 
SUPPORT FOR PEACE WORLDWIDE. 
 
3.  'AL KHALEEJ' CARRIED ON 3/15 AN INSIDE-PAGE REPORT WITH 
PHOTOS OF A GROUP OF STUDENTS AT THE UAE UNIVERSITY IN AL AIN 
DEMONSTRATING AGAINST U.S. POLICY TOWARDS THE CRISIS IN IRAQ. 
 
4.  COMMENTING ON THE AZORES SUMMIT YESTERDAY, DUBAI-BASED 
BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/17: 
 
"... GOING TO WAR WITHOUT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S APPROVAL 
IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DEATH OF INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY AND 
POSSIBLY THE UN.  WITH THE HOUR OF WAR DECIDED, WE HOPE A 
MIRACLE, WHICH EVERYONE IS DREAMING WILL OCCUR, WILL RESULT IN 
THE DIFFUSION OF WAR.  BUT WILL THE DREAM COME TRUE?" 
 
5.  IN AN UNUSUAL EDITORIAL CRITICIZING THE IRAQI REGIME AS THE 
CAUSE FOR THE REGION'S CALAMITIES, SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB "AL 
KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/17: 
 
"... EVERYONE IS CONVINCED, WHETHER THEY ARE ACCEPTED OR NOT 
ACCEPTED, THAT THE WAR IS KNOCKING ON OUR DOORS, BUT THE IRAQI 
REGIME IS STILL TRYING TO GAIN TIME, TO PLAY WITH TIME, AND IS 
DEALING WITH THE CRISIS IN EASY INSTALLMENTS.  ALTHOUGH IRAQ HAS 
RESPONDED TO UNSC RESOLUTION 1441, YET VERY SLOWLY, JUST LIKE ITS 
HABIT OF DEALING WITH IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT WOULD AVERT THE 
IRAQIS MORE TRAGEDIES.  THE CRISIS OF THE FIRST GULF WAR IS STILL 
IN THE AIR, AND THE CRISIS OF THE SECOND GULF WAR, RESULTING FROM 
THE CRIMINAL INVASION OF KUWAIT, IS STILL GOING ON AS WELL.  IN 
ORDER TO STOP THE CRISIS OF A THIRD GULF WAR, INITIATIVES AND 
SINCERE ADVISE WERE GIVEN TO THE IRAQI REGIME TO CHANGE ITS 
ATTITUDE AND TO HELP PAVE THE WAY FOR A PEACEFUL SOLUTION. 
HOWEVER, THE REGIME HAS IGNORED ALL OF THIS INSTEAD OF CLOSING 
OPENINGS FOR WAR ..." 
 
6.  COMMENTING ON TODAY'S MEETINGS AT THE AZORES SUMMIT, 'AL 
KHALEEJ' EDITORIALIZED ON 3/16: 
 
"THE SUMMIT THAT WILL BE HELD TODAY IN THE AZORES ISLANDS BETWEEN 
US PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH, UK PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR, AND 
SPANISH PRIME MINISTER JOSE MARIA AZNAR IS REALLY A 'WAR SUMMIT.' 
THESE THREE LEADERS HAVE DESTROYED ALL BRIDGES LEADING TO A 
PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF THE IRAQI CRISIS AND INSTEAD HAVE CHOSEN 
WAR ... THEIR MEETING TODAY WILL ANNOUNCE THE END OF THE 
COUNTDOWN TO A WAR THAT WILL NOT ONLY BE AGAINST IRAQ BUT 
INTERNATIONAL LEGITIMACY." 
 
7.  COMMENTING ON PRESIDENT BUSH'S STATEMENT ON THE ROADMAP AND 
PALESTINIAN ISSUES, 'AL BAYAN' EDITORIALIZED ON 3/16: 
 
"... BUSH'S STATEMENT WAS APPLAUDED BY ISRAEL, WHO KNEW WHAT HE 
WOULD SAY BEFORE HE SAID IT.  ON THE OTHER HAND, THE PALESTINIAN 
ADMINISTRATION DEALS FLEXIBLY WITH ALL PEACE INITIATIVES, 
ESPECIALLY AS SEEN WITH THE NOMINATION OF MAHMOUD ABBAS, ABU 
MAZEN, AS PRIME MINISTER OF PALESTINE, WHOM ISRAEL APPROVED OF 
BECAUSE OF HIS POSITION TOWARDS THE PALESTINIAN INTIFADA!!  WHAT 
IS MORE IMPORTANT IS THE PALESTINIAN MAN WHO IS THE PULSE OF THE 
CURRENT INTIFADA.  THIS MAN WILL NEVER YIELD TO ANY TRIALS 
TERMINATING HIS LEGITIMATE BATTLE.  THE PALESTINIAN INTIFADA IS 
SUPPOSED TO MOVE THE PEACE PROCESS FORWARD AND NOT BE MOVED BY 
PEOPLE WHO DO NOT EVEN SYMPATHIZE WITH PALESTINIANS." 
 
WAHBA