US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI1341

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001341 
 
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:  PRESIDENTS BUSH'S 3/18 ADDRESS, IRAQ, 
AN AMERICAN DEATH IN ISRAEL, UAE FNC, AND ANTI-US DEMONSTRATIONS 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  PRESIDENT BUSH'S MARCH 18TH ADDRESS TO THE AMERICAN 
PEOPLE GENERATED EXTENSIVE COVERAGE IN LOCAL AND REGIONAL PRINT 
AND SATELLITE MEDIA.  'AL KHALEEJ' CARRIED THE FULL TEXT OF THE 
ADDRESS WHILE OTHER ENGLISH AND ARABIC DAILIES CARRIED LENGTHY 
EXCERPTS.  AN 'AKHABAR AL ARAB' EDITORIAL SUGGESTS THAT THE BEST 
SACRIFICE SADDAM COULD MAKE FOR HIS COUNTRY IS TO STEP DOWN. 
OTHER EDITORIALS STRONGLY CRITICIZED THE U.S. DETERMINATION FOR 
WAR, NOTING THAT IRAQ IS ONLY THE BEGINNING AND OTHER ARAB 
COUNTRIES WILL BE NEXT.  EDITORIALS AND NEWS ALSO FEATURED LOCAL 
DEMONSTRATIONS, THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ELECTED UAE FEDERAL 
NATIONAL COUNCIL (FNC) REPRESENTATIVES, AND THE KILLING OF AN 
AMERICAN PEACE ACTIVIST, RACHEL CORRIE, IN ISRAEL.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  ON 3/18, SEVERAL LOCAL ENGLISH AND ARABIC DAILIES REPORTED 
WITH PHOTOS A DEMONSTRATION IN RAS AL KHAIMAH AGAINST U.S. 
POLICIES IN THE REGION.  COVERAGE ALSO INCLUDED AN ARTICLE ON 
STUDENT PLANS TO SEND A 30-METER LONG 'PEACE BANNER' TO THE WHITE 
HOUSE. 
 
3.  DUBAI-BASED ENGLISH-LANGUAGE DAILY 'GULF NEWS' ON 3/18 AND 
SEVERAL LOCAL ARABIC DAILIES ON 3/19 CARRIED INSIDE-PAGE ARTICLES 
CITING SHEIKH KHALED BIN SAQR AL QASIMI, RAS AL KHAIMAH (RAK) 
CROWN PRINCE AND DEPUTY RULER, AS SAYING THAT A YEAR FROM NOW, 
THE FEDERAL NATIONAL COUNCIL (FNC) MEMBERS OF RAK WOULD BE 
ELECTED AND NOT APPOINTED. 
 
4.  CLAIMING IRAQ WILL BE A MODEL FOR WHOEVER DOES NOT ABIDE BY 
U.S. POLICIES IN THE FUTURE, SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB "AL KHALEEJ" 
EDITORIALIZED ON 3/19: 
 
"... DURING THIS CRUCIAL TIME, FROM THE ELIMINATION OF THE 
INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM INITIATED SIXTY YEARS AGO AFTER WORLD WAR 
II, SOMETHING THAT FELL WITH THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION DECISION IN 
FOR A WAR ON IRAQ, TO A NEW AMERICAN SYSTEM, SOMETHING WASHINGTON 
WOULD LIKE TO IMPOSE ON THE WORLD.  WHAT IS GOING TO FACE IRAQ 
DURING THIS WAR WILL BE THE 'IDEAL' MODEL THAT WILL BE IMPOSED ON 
ALL OPPONENTS, NAY-SAYERS, AND ALL PEOPLE REJECTING BRITISH- 
AMERICAN POLICIES ..." 
 
5.  COMMENTING ON PRESIDENT BUSH'S ULTIMATUM FOR WAR IN HIS 
ADDRESS TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, ABU DHABI-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY 
"AKHBAR AL ARAB" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/19: 
 
"... SACRIFICING FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR COUNTRY IS NOT ALWAYS BY 
GOING INTO BATTLES AND BECOMING A MARTYR, IT COULD ALSO BE 
REALIZED THROUGH SIMPLE SACRIFICES, SUCH AS A LEADER STEPPING 
DOWN FROM THE PRESIDENCY.  ISN'T THIS A SACRIFICE A PRESIDENT CAN 
OFFER IN RETURN FOR AVERTING UNIMAGINABLE SUFFERINGS AND 
UNBELIEVABLE CONSEQUENCES FROM HIS OWN FELLOW CITIZENS?  HE CAN 
SPARE HIS PEOPLE A DEAR PRICE ..." 
 
6.  COMMENTING ON A RECENT DEBATE BETWEEN PRIME MINISTER TONY 
BLAIR AND A NUMBER OF BRITISH WOMEN, KHALAF AHMED AL HABTOOR 
EDITORIALIZED IN 'GULF NEWS' ON 3/18: 
 
"... IT WAS A SERIOUS AND CONSTRUCTIVE DEBATE, NOT AS SUPERFICIAL 
AS WE ARE USED TO IN MANY OF THE SO-CALLED ARAB 'DEBATES' ... I 
ADMIT THAT MY ADMIRATION FOR THIS GREAT PEOPLE DOUBLED ... BUT I 
ALSO HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I WAS OVERWHELMED WITH DISAPPOINTMENT 
WHEN I REMEMBERED THE SITUATION OF DEMOCRACY IN THE ARAB WORLD. 
WHEN I COMPARED THE INDIFFERENT AND BITTER ARAB STATUS TO THAT 
DEBATE, I FELT ENGULFED WITH FRUSTRATION ..." 
 
7.  IN AN EDITORIAL ENTITLED 'NOTING HUMANE QUESTIONS IN AN 
INHUMANE TIME,' "AL KHALEEJ" COMMENTED ON 3/18: 
 
"... WHY DID THE PEACE ACTIVIST RACHEL CORRIE LEAVE HER COUNTRY 
AND COME TO PALESTINE TO TAKE A HUMAN STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF 
PALESTINE, WHO ARE SUBJECT TO DAILY ATTACKS BY THE WAR CRIMINAL 
SHARON?  WHY ARE OTHER PEOPLE LEAVING IRAQ, KUWAIT, SYRIA, AND 
OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE REGION, LEAVING THEIR PEOPLE TO FACE THE 
FIRE OF THOUSANDS OF MISSILES AND BOMBS, INCLUDING 'THE MOTHER OF 
ALL BOMBS,' WHICH WEIGHS AROUND TEN TONS?  THESE ARE HUMANE 
QUESTIONS IN AN INHUMAN TIME." 
 
8.  COMMENTING ON THE NOW-CLOSED DIPLOMATIC DOORS TO ANY SOLUTION 
OF THE CRISIS IN IRAQ, ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL 
ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/18: 
 
"... WILL SADDAM DO IT?  WILL HE BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE INTERESTS 
OF HIS PEOPLE AND NOT HIS OWN?  WILL HE LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF 
WISDOM AND REASON IN ORDER TO SAVE HIS PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN 
SUFFERING FOR YEARS NOW, AND WHO ARE STILL DREAMING THAT THIS WAR 
COULD BE AVOIDED?  WILL SADDAM, AS HIS HABIT IN THE LAST TEN 
YEARS, BACK OFF AT THE LAST MINUTE AND GRANT MILLIONS OF IRAQIS 
THE HOPE THEY HAVE BEEN AWAITING SO LONG?" 
 
9.  COMMENTING ON THE DEATH OF AMERICAN PEACE ACTIVIST RACHEL 
CORRIE, KILLED BY AN ISRAELI BULLDOZER, "AKHBAR AL ARAB" 
EDITORIALIZED ON 3/18: 
 
"... RACHEL IS UNIQUE.  SHE CARRIED OUT A MISSION FILLED WITH 
NOBLE MEANING TO PALESTINIANS, ARABS, AMERICANS, MOTHERS AND 
FATHERS, AND ALSO TO ALL NATIONS OF THE WORLD ... SHE DESERVES TO 
BE OFFICIALLY HONORED.  SHE DESERVES TO BE REMEMBERED BY THE ARAB 
LEAGUE BECAUSE SHE IS REALLY IN THE HEARTS OF ALL ARABS AS A MOST 
NOBLE AND HONEST EMISSARY (FOR PEACE)." 
 
WAHBA