US embassy cable - 03AMMAN1789

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001789 
 
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 
 
-- The Jordanian print media today, March 25, 
continues to focus on the war on Iraq.  Lead stories 
focus on "fierce" battles in some Iraqi towns and the 
resistance of the Iraqi people.  Another lead story, 
carried under huge banner headlines, focuses on King 
Abdullah's remarks to the Jordanian Upper House of 
Parliament that Jordan will not allow its airspace "to 
be used to attack Iraq". 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "Be free, whether you like it or not!" 
 
Chief Editor Nabil Sharif writes on the back page of 
center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(03/25):  "It is evident that America and Britain are 
now feeling the crisis that the pro-Israel supporters 
in the White House have put them in..  The Iraqi 
people have thwarted the wagers of the invaders who 
had wagered on a quick war with little resistance. 
The most noble of `surprises' achieved by the Iraqi 
people that confused the invaders is probably this 
determination to stand fast in Iraq and not to leave 
Iraq.  Not a single Iraqi person left Iraq for the 
refugee camps that were set up by international 
organizations.  On the contrary, the border point 
witnessed a mass Iraqi immigration back into Iraq to 
participate with their people in the defense of their 
homeland..  The invading forces are likely to escalate 
the aggression and use excessive force to impose 
`liberation' on the Iraqi people, whether they like it 
or not.  Despite the prevailing pessimism, now is the 
time for creative diplomatic action that would find a 
way for the invading forces out of their crisis and 
would salvage the Iraqi people from the bloodbaths 
that are planned by the invaders.  Is there anyone out 
there who is willing to sound the bell to salvage the 
Iraqi people?" 
 
-- "The gap between reality and expectations" 
 
Daily columnist Urayb Rintawi writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(03/25):  "There is an American-British confusion in 
managing the war on Iraq, a confusion that cannot 
dampened by the `sure tone of voice' of both 
administrations in addressing their stances.  It is a 
confusion that stems from the fact that the American 
scheme has come in collision with a series of 
surprises in the war operations..  Despite the misery 
of the Iraqi media rhetoric and the Iraqi Minister of 
Information's resort to the use of swear words, the 
confidence in the Iraqi rhetoric so far is much higher 
than that in the American and British rhetoric..  If 
this continues, it is likely that the confusion is 
going to escalate and then Washington would find 
itself forced to adopt steps that would cover its 
failure and the failure of its project.  The most 
dangerous thing that could happen is for Washington to 
resort to the use of impetuous and brute force to 
speed up the conclusion of the battle.  This means 
that promises of a quick and clean war would not be 
abided by and that the coming unfolding chapters of 
the war would carry the most serious of consequences." 
 
-- "The ferociousness of the media war and the loss of 
the Arab media" 
 
Daily columnist Bater Wardam writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(03/25):  "Since the first day of the war, the 
Americans adopted a media system that targets the 
Iraqi people and tries to bring the people in line 
with the American political rhetoric of `liberating 
Iraq'.  Yet, the credibility of the American media was 
completely blown away when facts on the ground proved 
the falseness of American claims..  The American anger 
at publishing the photos of the dead and captured 
Americans is justifiable, because, for the first time, 
it showed the American people and the world that this 
war is not picnic as envisaged by Mr. Rumsfeld.  Of 
course, seeing dead people of any race or religion is 
not amusing, and the American soldiers are, at the end 
of the day, human beings with hopes and dreams 
different from wanting to die so that American oil 
companies can get contracts for the Iraqi oil or to 
protect Israel.  However, publishing those photos was 
a political necessity that made Mr. George Bush 
realize that the war is not a computer game that can 
be played without real American losses.  The problem 
remains that truth is the first victim of the war, and 
the conflict to win the media battle means that 
professional and moral standards are going to be 
thwarted." 
GNEHM