US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI1400

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001400 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; 
INR/NESA; INR/B; IIP/G/NEA-SA; TFIZ01 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE 
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:  WAR IN IRAQ U.S. PRISONERS OF WAR 
SHEIKH ZAYED'S INITIATIVE 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE WAR IN IRAQ AND FOOTAGE OF CAPTURED AND KILLED 
U.S. SOLDIERS DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC 
MEDIA.  AN "AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIAL CONDEMNED AL-JAZEERA'S 
BROADCASTING OF FOOTAGE OF DEAD U.S. SOLDIERS AND U.S. POWS. 
ALSO IN "AL ITTIHAD, " UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN COMMENTED THAT 
IRAQ IS IN PEOPLE'S HEARTS WORLDWIDE, AND THAT IT WILL RESIST 
CONQUEST, AS IT HAS ALWAYS DONE.  AN EDITORIAL ENTITLED "BACK TO 
THE INITIATIVE" REITERATED THE IMPORTANCE OF SHEIKH ZAYED'S 
INITIATIVE FOR SADDAM TO STEP DOWN.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  HEADLINES FOR 3/24 INCLUDE: 
 
--"AL KHALEEJ," "AL BAYAN," AND "GULF NEWS" CARRIED FRONT-PAGE 
AND FULL-SPREAD COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DEAD AND CAPTURED U.S. 
SOLDIERS. 
--"BROADCAST OF PRISONERS CONFUSES WASHINGTON AND BUSH ADMITS 
'FIGHTS ARE HARD'"; "FIERCE BATTLES IN THE SOUTH; 15 AMERICAN 
SOLDIERS KILLED"(AL KHALEEJ) 
--"IRAQI FORCES FIGHT BACK" AND "IMAGES OF DEATH, VIOLENCE SHOCK 
ARABS"  (GULF NEWS) 
--"ENCIRCLING BAGHDAD FROM THREE SIDES" AND "THE AMERICAN 
PRESIDENT WARNS TURKEY AGAINST INTERFERING IN NORTHERN IRAQ"  (AL 
ITTIHAD) 
--"AMERICAN ATTACKS CONFUSED POLITICALLY, MILITARILY, AND 
INFORMATION-WISE;" "385 CIVILIAN CASUALTIES, OCCUPIERS LOSE 25 
SOLDIERS"  (AL BAYAN) 
 
3.  A 3/24 FRONT-PAGE ARTICLE IN SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL- 
KHALEEJ" REPORTED THAT AN ISRAELI MISSILE WAS USED IN THE RAIDS 
ON IRAQ AND THAT THIS INFORMATION WAS CONFIRMED BY ISRAELI 
DEFENSE MINISTER SHAOUL MOFAZ.  ANOTHER "AL-KHALEEJ" ARTICLE 
CLAIMED THAT WASHINGTON HAS MADE THE BROADCASTING OF FOOTAGE OF 
THE POWS INTO A LEGAL ISSUE AND HAS REQUESTED ALL SATELLITE 
CHANNELS NOT TO BROADCAST THESE IMAGES. 
 
4.  ARABIC DAILIES HAVE NOT YET REPORTED ON GENERAL ABIZEID'S 
3/23 BRIEFING.  "GULF NEWS" CARRIED A FRONT-PAGE REPORT ON THE 
BRIEFING QUOTING THE GENERA'S REMARK THAT "YESTERDAY WAS THE 
TOUGHEST DAY OF RESISTANCE." 
 
5.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "BACK TO THE INITIATIVE", ABU DHABI-BASED 
PAN-ARAB DAILY "AKHBAR AL ARAB" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/24: 
 
"... OUR OBLIGATION REQUIRES THE INTERVENTION OF THE 
INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL (COMMUNITY), ARMED WITH SHEIKH ZAYED'S 
INITIATIVE, WHICH ASKS SADDAM TO STEP DOWN WITH SOME GUARANTEES. 
THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO ACT ON AND COMPLETE THE LEGAL ASPECTS 
OF THIS INITIATIVE, THEN TO SUBMIT IT TO BECOME THE INTERNATIONAL 
EXIT FROM WAR." 
 
6.  CONDEMNING THE BROADCAST OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF DEAD AMERICAN 
SOLDIERS AND AMERICAN POWS AS UNACCEPTABLE, THE EDITORIAL IN ABU 
DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" 3/24 SAID: 
 
"... BROADCASTING PICTURES OF DEAD, TORN BODIES AND FLOODS OF 
BLOOD, IN ADDITION TO PICTURES OF PRISONERS OF WAR WHO ARE 
TERRIFIED OF THE BRUTALITY OF THEIR CAPTORS, IS SOMETHING WHICH 
OFFENDS ALL INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS AND ALL HUMAN VALUES.  THIS 
WILL NEVER GIVE THE EFFECT DESIRED BY THE BROADCASTER; ON THE 
CONTRARY, IT WILL CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE OF HATRED AND REVENGE, NOT 
ONLY AMONG THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE WAR, BUT ALSO AMONG PEOPLE 
WHO ARE THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY..." 
 
7.  NOTING THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS WAR ON THE WORLD AND 
THE REGION, SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" 
EDITORIALIZED 3/24: 
 
"... BUSH'S HAWKS PLAN TO CHANGE THE UN, EMBRACE 'OLD EUROPE' 
WHICH CONSISTS OF FRANCE AND GERMANY, AND TARGET (AFTER IRAQ) 
SYRIA, IRAN, AND OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE REGION, AND EVEN RUSSIA 
AND ANY COUNTRY THAT BOTHERS THEM.  THESE PLANS INDICATE THAT THE 
KNIFE THAT IS NOW IN IRAQ WILL MOVE ON TO REACH MANY NECKS 
ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD..." 
 
8.  DESCRIBING THIS WAR AS ONE IN SUPPORT OF ESTABLISHING 
"GREATER ISRAEL," SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB WEEKLY MAGAZINE "AL 
SHURUQ" EDITORIALIZED 3/24: 
 
"THE WAR ON IRAQ HAS BEGUN, AND ALL THE INTERNATIONAL ATTEMPTS TO 
STOP THE U.S. IN ITS SCHEMES TO DESTROY THE IRAQI LAND, PEOPLE, 
AND HISTORY WILL FAIL.  MOST IMPORTANT (TO THE U.S.) IS TO 
IMPLEMENT THE PLAN--THAT IS, TO DOMINATE THE ENTIRE MIDDLE EAST 
AND TO SUPPORT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GREATER ISRAEL.  BOTH THE 
TRADITIONAL AND THE NEW ZIONISTS, WHO FOLLOW THE ANGLICAN- 
AMERICAN-JEWISH CHURCH, ALONG WITH THE AMERICAN GROUP WHO ARE 
LEADING WASHINGTON TO THIS WAR OF ANNIHILATION ON BAGHDAD, AND 
THEN THE ARABS AND MUSLIMS, HAVE LONG AWAITED THE ESTABLISHMENT 
OF GREATER ISRAEL ..." 
9.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "LONGER WAR, HIGHER PRICE", DUBAI-BASED 
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE DAILY "GULF NEWS" EDITORIALIZED ON 3/24: 
 
"... BUT AS ALWAYS, EVERY WAR HAS A PRICE.  AND THE LONGER THE 
WAR, THE HIGHER THE PRICE.  IN THIS CASE, IT IS A PRICE THAT WILL 
BE PAID BY THE VERY PEOPLE THAT THE AMERICANS SAY THEY HAVE SET 
OUT TO HELP: THE IRAQI POPULATION... THE U.S. HAS NO CHOICE BUT 
TO TAKE ALL NECESSARY MEASURES TO AVOID A PROLONGED WAR.  IT IS 
ABOUT TIME FOR THE U.S. TO CONFRONT THE TRUTH... THE SOONER IT 
DOES SO THE BETTER, AS IT WON'T TAKE LONG FOR THE U.S. TO FIND 
ITSELF ENTANGLED IN ITS OWN WEB OF LIES." 
 
10.  CRITICIZING THE CRUDE LANGUAGE USED BY IRAQI MINISTER OF 
INFORMATION, AL SAHHAF, UAE COLUMNIST NASSER AL DHAHERI WROTE IN 
"AL ITTIHAD" ON 3/24: 
 
"... AL SAHHAF'S DICTIONARY DEPARTED FROM THE USUAL, MODERATE, 
AND PATIENTLY-CHOSEN LANGUAGE OF DIPLOMACY.  IT EXCEEDED THE 
LANGUAGE OF ANGER AND WAS MOSTLY SWEARING AND USE OF UNSUITABLE 
ADJECTIVES IN FRONT OF THE WORLD'S TV CHANNELS.  THIS SHOULD NOT 
BE THE CASE, SINCE HE IS SEEKING THE WORLD'S SYMPATHY ..." 
 
11.  IN AN EMOTIONAL ARTICLE ABOUT IRAQ, UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA 
SULTAN WROTE IN DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" ON 3/24: 
 
"... IRAQ IS GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER IN OUR HEARTS AND THE 
HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE OF THE GLOBE, WHILE THE OCCUPIERS' ORDEAL IS 
INCREASING AND THEY ARE SUCKED INTO THE SWAMP.  THE 'LAND OF 
BLACKNESS' IS STILL RESISTING, AS IT HAS ALWAYS DONE IN THE FACE 
OF THE MONGOLS AND HULAGU'S CATAPULTS.  IT IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE 
AL-RASHID'S CAPITAL, THE HEADQUARTERS OF DAR AL HIKMA AND 
COLLECTIONS OF POETRY.  THE 'LIBRARY OF THE WORLD' (IRAQ) IS 
ARROGANT AND WILL ALWAYS BE SO IF GOD WILLS" 
 
 
 
WAHBA