US embassy cable - 03AMMAN1735

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001735 
 
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 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KMDR JO 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON WAR ON IRAQ 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- Lead stories in all papers today, March 23, 
continue to focus on the war on Iraq.  Wire service 
reports appeared under banner headlines highlighting 
"resistance" encountered by coalition forces, civilian 
casualties and growing anti-war protests.  Headlines 
in several papers refer to Iraqis killed to date as 
"martyrs."  One paper featured a graphic color 
photograph (from Al Jazeera television) of a child 
with his head blown apart.  Papers also carried color 
photos of a burning Baghdad.  Another lead story 
focuses on King Abdullah's meeting with the Jordanian 
Cabinet, during which he expressed satisfaction with 
his government's efforts to maintain order and 
security, while calling for sympathetic treatment for 
those demonstrating against the war. 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "Who picks up the war bill?" 
 
Centrist, influential among the elite English daily 
Jordan Times (03/23) editorializes:  "U.S. President 
George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair 
have publicly stated their long-term commitment to the 
rebuilding of Iraq on several occasions.  But they 
have been less than transparent with their own 
constituencies on what that means, especially on a 
financial level.  The United States has a long record 
of forsaking countries which it entered as a 
`liberator'.  The last such example is Afghanistan, 
where Washington's promises of aid, progress and 
prosperity are still light-years away from 
materializing.  As a politician, Bush cannot afford to 
leave a mess in Iraq.  But, put aside his chances for 
re-election, the United States at this stage does not 
look like a country capable of taking care of itself, 
let alone Iraq..  The Bush administration has over the 
past few days craftily avoided questions on how much 
the war alone would cost.  It might be a long time, if 
ever, before Washington spells out how much exactly it 
thinks to commit to piece Iraq back together." 
 
-- "A war, not a `crusade'" 
 
Daily columnist Bater Wardam writes on the back page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(03/23):  "President George Bush may be using many 
religious phrases and words in his speeches, and he 
may be personally under the impression that he is 
fulfilling a `sacred mission' authorized to him by 
`god' when he launches war on Iraq.  The fact is, 
however, Bush is fulfilling a mission given to him by 
the lobby of the oil companies, such as those of 
Cheney and Rice, to control the Iraqi oil, by the 
hawks of the military industry, such as Rumsfeld, 
Powell and Wolfowitz, to effect an American military 
hegemony over the world, and finally by the right-wing 
Zionist Lobby, such as Richard Pearl, Douglas Feith 
and Eliot Abrams, to protect Israel and strike any 
force that could pose a threat to it.  This is the 
American war on Iraq:  a colonialist, Zionist, oil- 
related war, but definitely not a crusader 
war..Statements issued by many Islamic organizations 
and parties describing the American-Zionist war 
against Iraq as a `crusader' war are contributing to 
making many friends into enemies.  They force us into 
the American-Zionist trap that is seeking to create a 
war of cultures between Islam and Christianity, all in 
the service of Zionism.  This war on Iraq is not the 
last one.  It might as well be called the `Iraq first' 
war.  It is going to be followed by other war against 
countries and regimes in the region that do not abide 
by the U.S. policy.  This long war will not only be in 
the military sense, but also on the cultural, economic 
and social levels.  The Arabs and Muslims will not be 
able to fight it alone, that is if they decide to 
fight it at all.  They will need those millions of 
Christians, Budhists, Jews and other who took to the 
streets in protest..  The haphazard speeches, the 
extremism and turning friends into enemies is a first- 
class foolish policy that cannot be justified by anger 
against the American aggression.  Our real enemies are 
those who colonize our lands, implement Zionist plans 
and protect Israel." 
GNEHM