US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI1459

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001459 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; 
INR/NESA; INR/B; IIP/G/NEA-SA 
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 POWS CIVILIAN CASUALTIES 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE WAR IN IRAQ, AN ALLEGED U.S. DOUBLE STANDARD ON 
POWS, CIVILIAN CASUALTIES, AND THE "OUR PEOPLE IN IRAQ" CAMPAIGN 
DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE MEDIA.  IN AN "AL KHALEEJ" ARTICLE, DR. 
HASSAN MADAN ALLEGED A DOUBLE STANDARD IN U.S. POLICY TOWARDS 
POWS.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "THE DILEMMA AND FEAR," AN "AL BAYAN" 
EDITORIAL NOTES THAT U.S. FORCES ARE PLANNING TO USE BANNED 
WEAPONS, WHILE ANOTHER COLUMNIST COMPARES PRESIDENT BUSH TO WW2 
NAZI LEADERS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  DUBAI TV FINISHED A 12-HOUR TELETHON EARLY MORNING 3/26 AFTER 
RAISING NEARLY 49 MILLION AED ($14 MILLION) FOR HUMANITARIAN AID 
TO IRAQIS, FEATURING PROMINENT EMIRATIS AS WELL AS EGYPTIAN AND 
SYRIAN FILM STARS.  ALL VOICED STRONG OPPOSITION TO THE WAR, WITH 
ONE UAE OFFICIAL CALLING ON " THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO STOP 
THIS AGGRESSION" AND ON "THE AMERICAN AND BRITISH AMBASSADORS TO 
REPORT THE FEELINGS OF THE PUBLIC HONESTLY." 
 
3.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "THE CASUALTIES OF WAR," DUBAI-BASED 
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE DAILY "GULF NEWS" EDITORIALIZED 3/26: 
 
"... YET SOME DAYS LATER, POCKETS OF RESISTANCE ARE STILL BEING 
MET AND COUNTERED WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY.  EXPECTATIONS OF HORDES 
OF GLEEFUL IRAQIS WELCOMING THE 'LIBERATING TROOPS' WITH BOUQUETS 
AND SWEETMEATS HAVE FAILED TO MATERIALISE, AS HAVE THE SO-CALLED 
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION ALLEGEDLY HELD BY THE IRAQIS ..." 
 
4.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "THE DILEMMA AND FEAR," DUBAI-BASED 
BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 3/26: 
 
"... DURING THIS DILEMMA (FOR THE U.S. MILITARY), IT IS NOT FAR 
FROM TRUTH THAT U.S. FORCES MIGHT USE 'DESTRUCTIVE METHODS' 
OUTSIDE NORMAL WAR PLANNING.  SOME REPORTERS MENTIONED YESTERDAY 
THAT THE U.S. FORCES USED CLUSTER BOMBS ON BASRA ... WHAT IS 
FRIGHTENING IS THAT THE AMERICANS HAVE BEGUN TO CONSIDER USING 
MILITARILY BANNED MATERIAL, AND IF THAT HAPPENS, THE 'SHOCK AND 
AWE' WILL NOT ONLY HIT IRAQ AND THE ARABS BUT THE WORLD AS A 
WHOLE." 
 
5.  COMMENTING ON THE U.S. PLANS TO REMOLD THE REGION, SHARJAH- 
BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 3/26: 
 
"... IN PALESTINE, A WAR OF LIQUIDATION HAS BEEN WAGED USING 
AMERICAN WEAPONS.  IN IRAQ, AN AMERICAN-BRITISH WAR OF 
LIQUIDATION IS BEING WAGED AGAINST THE IRAQI PEOPLE USING ISRAELI 
WEAPONS ... THE REGION IS BEING REMOLDED WITH ARAB BLOOD WHILE 
ARABS ARE WATCHING AND COUNTING THE MISSILES THAT FALL ON IRAQI 
PEOPLE, JUST AS BEFORE WITH THE MISSILES THAT FELL AND ARE STILL 
FALLING ON THE PALESTINIANS." 
 
6.  DESCRIBING THE IMAGE BUSH PAINTS FOR THE U.S., UAE COLUMNIST 
AYSHA SULTAN WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" 3/25: 
 
"... THE PICTURE THAT PRESIDENT BUSH DRAWS FOR THE U.S. IS AN 
EXTREMELY UGLY IMAGE OF A COWBOY DRUNK WITH THE IDEA OF 
TYRANNICAL POWER.  THIS HAS LED HIM TO IMAGINE THAT HE CAN DO 
WHATEVER HE WANTS TO WHOMEVER.  AMERICANS THINK THAT THE ARAB 
WORLD AND IN PARTICULAR, THE ISLAMIC WORLD, ARE REGIONS INHABITED 
BY SAVAGE ARAB TERRORISTS, WHO NEED TO BE ELIMINATED TO REALIZE 
THE PROPHECY AND STABILITY OF AMERICA AND THE WELL-BEING OF 
AMERICANS ... OH PEOPLE OF IRAQ:  YOU ARE TURNING, ON BEHALF OF 
THE (ARAB) NATION, A DANGEROUS CORNER; AN IDEA CONFRONTING A 
TANK; CULTURE CONFRONTING DEATH; CIVILIZATION CONFRONTING A 
TOMAHAWK; AND A HUMAN BEING FACING EXPULSION.  YOU ARE STANDING 
LIKE AN ARROW IN THE DESERT, LIKE PALESTINE AND BEIRUT BEFORE 
YOU, AND JUST AS OTHER CAPITALS WILL STAND IN THE FUTURE ..." 
 
7.  ALLEGING A U.S. DOUBLE STANDARD IN THE TREATMENT OF POWS, UAE 
COLUMNIST DR.HASSAN MADAN WROTE IN "AL KHALEEJ" 3/26: 
 
"... THE U.S. IN PARTICULAR SHOULD BE THE LAST TO DISCUSS RESPECT 
OF THE GENEVA CONVENTION REGARDING POWS.  THE U.S. IGNORED AND IS 
STILL IGNORING ALL THE OBJECTIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY 
AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF THE ARABS AND 
NON-ARAB PRISONERS SHIPPED TO GUANTANAMO BAY IN CUBA.  THEIR 
TREATMENT IS A HUMILIATION OF ALL HUMAN DIGNITY ..." 
 
8  COMPARING GEORGE BUSH TO NAZI LEADER HERMAN GOERING, A 
COLUMNIST NICKNAMED ABU KHALDOUN WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" 3/26: 
 
"... DURING THE TRIAL OF THE NAZI LEADER HERMAN GOERING (HITLER'S 
DEPUTY), HE WAS ASKED: DID THE PEOPLE OF GERMANY WANT THE WAR? 
HE ANSWERED: THE NORMAL MAN IN THE STREET AND ALL PEOPLE OF ALL 
NATIONS DO NOT WANT WAR, BUT IT IS THE POLITICAL LEADERS WHO 
DECIDE A NATION'S POLICY ... PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH, IN HIS 
CAMPAIGN TO PREPARE FOR THE INVASION OF IRAQ, FOLLOWED THIS SAME 
METHOD REVEALED BY THE NAZI LEADER IN THE NEUREMBERG TRIAL.  HE 
ANNOUNCED FROM THE FIRST DAY OF MOBILIZATION: 'WHOEVER IS NOT 
WITH US IS AGAINST US' AND CREATED A SITUATION OF ANXIETY AND 
FEAR AMONG THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ..." 
 
9  MARIAM ABDULLAH WROTE IN HER DAILY COLUMN IN "AL-BAYAN" 3/26 
 
"... IRAQ'S ACCEPTANCE OF THE CHALLENGE (OF THE WAR) WAS THE 
GREATEST AND MOST WONDERFUL OPTION THAT HELPED TO RESTORE PART OF 
OUR WOUNDED DIGNITY AND ALLOWED US A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE A 
VITAL PART OF OUR (ARAB) ENTITY RESISTING, FACE THE AGGRESSORS, 
AND REJECT A DRINK FROM THE CUP OF HUMILIATION ..." 
 
WAHBA