US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI1503

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001503 
 
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 CIVILIAN CASUALTIES 
RUMSFELD'S WARNINGS 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE WAR IN IRAQ, IRAQI CIVILIAN CAUSALITIES, 
HUMANITARIAN AID, AND RUMSFELD'S WARNINGS TO SYRIA AND IRAN 
DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE MEDIA.  AN "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIAL 
DESCRIBED RUMSFELD'S WARNINGS AS "ISRAELI DICTATIONS."  ANOTHER 
EDITORIAL IN "AL BAYAN" NOTED THAT THESE WARNINGS ARE A NEW 
THREAT AGAINST ANOTHER ARAB COUNTRY.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "RUMSFELD AND THE ISRAELI DICTATIONS," 
SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 3/30: 
 
"... THE U.S. IS IMPLEMENTING AN 'ISRAELI AGENDA' IN ITS ATTACKS 
AGAINST IRAQ, AND WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT IRAQ AS THE FIRST STEP 
IN CARRYING OUT AN ISRAELI-AMERICAN STRATEGY IN THE REGION IS NOT 
ONLY AN ANALYSIS ANYMORE, THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY RUMSFELD'S 
STATEMENTS ... ARE THESE HUGE U.S. FORCES THAT HAVE ARRIVED IN 
THE REGION, WHOSE NUMBERS MIGHT REACH HALF A MILLION SOLDIERS, 
TARGETING IRAQ ONLY, OR IS THERE SOMETHING MORE?" 
 
3.  COMMENTING ON RUMSFELD'S STATEMENT AND HIS WARNINGS TO SYRIA 
AND IRAN, DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 
3/30: 
 
"... THESE WARNINGS AND ACCUSATIONS REPRESENT A NEW AMERICAN 
THREAT AGAINST A BROTHERLY ARAB COUNTRY, WHO AGREES WITH THE 
INTERNATIONAL CONSENSUS AND COOPERATED WITH THE SECURITY COUNCIL 
IN VOTING FOR UNSCR 1441.  THAT (UNSCR 1441) WAS MEANT TO PROTECT 
IRAQ'S SECURITY AND TO CONFIRM THAT DAMASCUS IS WITH THE 
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.  WE DO NOT KNOW THE U.S. INTENTIONS 
BEHIND THESE WARNINGS TO SYRIA." 
 
4.  CRITICIZING THE US AND UK FOR DOUBLE STANDARD VIS--VIS IRAQ 
AND ISRAEL, UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" ON 
3/30: 
 
"... BUSH AND BLAIR ARE CONVINCED THAT SADDAM'S REGIME DESERVES 
TO BE PUNISHED SINCE IT IGNORED 17 UN RESOLUTIONS.  THE MORAL 
QUESTION THAT SHOULD BE ASKED HERE IS THE SAME THAT WAS ASKED BY 
THE BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER JACK STRAW AND WHICH DISGUSTED 
ISRAEL:  WHY IS ISRAEL NOT PUNISHED FOR THE SAME REASON, THE 
VIOLATION OF 64 UN RESOLUTIONS?" 
 
5.  CRITICIZING THE MANAGEMENT OF GULF SATELLITE CHANNELS, UAE 
COLUMNIST DR. SHAMLAN YOUSEF AL EISSA WROTE IN ABU DHABI-BASED 
SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" ON 3/30: 
 
"... THE REALLY SAD ISSUE IS THAT OUR GULF SATELLITE CHANNELS 
HAVE GIVEN OVER THEIR MANAGEMENT TO ARAB EXPATRIATES, WHO PLACED 
THEIR BENEFITS AND THE BENEFIT OF THEIR COUNTRIES ABOVE THE 
BENEFITS OF PEOPLE OF THE GULF AND THE WESTERN COALITION 
COUNTRIES THAT SHARE IMPORTANT AND COMPLICATED ECONOMICAL, 
COMMERCIAL, AND SECURITY RELATIONS WITH GULF COUNTRIES.  PEOPLE 
OF THE GULF TODAY ARE COMMITTING THE SAME MISTAKE THE KUWAITIS 
DID RIGHT BEFORE THE SECOND GULF WAR, WHEN THE KUWAITI PRESS WAS 
MANNED BY OUR ARAB BROTHERS WHO MADE OUR PRESS A FORUM FOR INTER- 
ARAB CONFLICTS AT THE TIME, WITHOUT TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION 
KUWAIT'S ULTIMATE INTERESTS AND FOR WHICH KUWAIT PAID DEARLY ..." 
 
6.  PRAISING "THE BLESSED ARAB SATELLITE CHANNEL CAVALRIES," IBN 
AL DEERA WROTE IN "AL KHALEEJ" ON 3/30: 
 
"PROFESSIONALISM AND OBJECTIVITY IS BADLY REQUIRED IN THE 
COVERAGE OF ARAB SATELLITE CHANNELS.  IT IS ALSO NECESSARY THAT 
THEY NOT SUCCUMB TO THE TRAPS LAID BY THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDIA WAR 
FABRICATED BY THE UNITED STATES.  VICTORIES ACHIEVED BY LOCAL AND 
ARAB SATELLITE CHANNELS SHOULD NOT BE OBSTRUCTED OR DISTORTED BY 
AMERICA.  THE AIM OF THE AMERICAN CAMPAIGN AGAINST OUR ARAB 
SATELLITE CHANNELS IS TO BLACKOUT SCENES OF THEIR MISERIES ... 
BLESSINGS ON THE COURAGEOUS REPORTERS OF THE ARAB SATELLITE 
CHANNELS: 'ABU DHABI,' 'SHARJAH,' 'DUBAI,' 'AL JAZEERA,' AND 'AL 
ARABIYYA' AND MOST OF THE ARAB SATELLITE CHANNELS!" 
 
7.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "UN MUST ACT ON AID," EXPATRIATE-ORIENTED 
ENGLISH DAILY GULF NEWS EDITORIALIZED 3/30: 
 
"THE POLITICAL FUTURE OF IRAQ HAS TO LIE WITH THE IRAQI PEOPLE 
AND THAT FUTURE STARTS WITH THE CIVILIAN ADMINISTRATION OF THOSE 
PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, WHICH THE COALITION HAS TAKEN AND ARE NOT 
AFFECTED BY THE FIGHTING.  EVEN IF THAT IS NOT UNDER IRAQI 
CONTROL AS YET, THE UNITED NATIONS IS MUCH BETTER ABLE TO DELIVER 
THE REQUIRED SUPPORT WHERE NEEDED, AND TO HAND OVER ANY ASSETS OR 
INFRASTRUCTURE IT HAS SET UP TO ANY FUTURE IRAQI ADMINISTRATION. 
THE COALITION FORCES SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS PROCESS." 
 
WAHBA