US embassy cable - 03AMMAN1885

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001885 
 
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 IN IRAQ 
 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- Lead stories in all papers today, March 30, focus 
on developments in the war in Iraq.  Banner front-page 
headlines highlight conflicting reports about the 
suspension of the allied move towards Baghdad.  Other 
major reports also highlight the suicide bombing in 
Najaf, which killed four American marines.  Inside 
pages highlight, with photos, the anti-Iraq war 
demonstrations and protests that took place over the 
weekend in various parts of the Kingdom. 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "A call for catching breath" 
 
Center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(03/30) editorializes:  "There are indications that 
the U.S. and British military operations in Iraq are 
facing major difficulties, so much so that the 
military leaderships had to slow down ground 
operations..  Countries opposing the war have probably 
found in this an opportunity to reiterate their call 
for halting military actions and for resuming dialogue 
in order to resolve the Iraqi issue peacefully..  If 
there is no chance to stop this evil war, then the 
international community must create this chance by 
increasing protests and by addressing the American 
people directly, to show them how much their 
reputation has been damaged as a result of this human 
disaster that befell the innocent Iraqis, and to 
remind them of their moral responsibility towards 
changing the stance of their leadership." 
 
-- "America, Iraq and Israel" 
 
Daily columnist Fahd Fanek writes on the back page of 
semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai 
(03/30):  "America, in its many wars, used to arm 
itself with legality and morality, because 
international legitimacy was always one of its tools. 
However, this characteristic was abandoned under the 
current U.S. administration, which opted to depend on 
absolute force..  Iraq owns the second largest oil 
reserves in the world after Saudi.  We can just 
imagine the power that America will have if it 
controls the oil reserves of Saudi, Iraq, Kuwait and 
the rest of the countries of the Arab Gulf.  Iraq 
manufactured chemical weapons since 1980 with American 
and European technical help, and used them without any 
objection or criticism from the West.  On the other 
hand, America itself is the biggest user of chemical 
weapons.  The amount of depleted uranium it left in 
Iraq and Kuwait after the second Gulf war total 40 
tons, which raised the levels of cancer among the Iraq 
to seven times.  As for the economic sanctions imposed 
by America on Iraq through the Security Council, they 
have led to the death of 1.5 million Iraqis, including 
750 thousand children.  Iraq had nothing to do with 
the September 11 attacks and no connection with Osama 
Bin Laden or Al-Qa'eda organization.  Iraq did not 
kill any Americans and did not threaten America or its 
interests.  Despite all this, America decided to begin 
with Iraq, thinking that it would be an easy target. 
We must remember that Israel did not abide by 65 U.N. 
decisions, that it owns 400 nuclear weapons, and that 
it has been occupying other people's land for the past 
35 years.  Instead of bombing it as it is doing in 
Iraq, America is drowning it with billions of dollars 
and the latest weapons.  This is not a war on Iraq, 
but an aggression against the Arab Nation." 
 
-- "It is ferocious resistance.  What to do?" 
 
Daily columnist Sultan Hattab writes on the op-ed page 
of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai 
(03/30):  "It is time to understand the motives for 
Bush's war on Iraq, and it is an illegitimate war that 
is not endorsed by the international community.  This 
dirty and haphazard war, which is primarily targeting 
civilians, deserves condemnation and deserves to have 
all Arab and international energies recruited to put a 
stop to it.  This war came after long planning that 
started with the second Gulf war.  It targeted the 
Iraqi people with a siege and with suffering so that 
the people would start calling for abandoning their 
leadership and their country.  Yet, everything that 
the U.S. administration has been doing over the past 
13 years, of a horrific and killer siege that targeted 
civilians, to make the Iraqi people surrender, it did 
not work out, as has been tested..  The situation is 
very dangerous, and Iraq is not going to give up 
without a huge price or before the cards are shuffled. 
Iraq is facing an aggression, an armed robbery in 
fact, against its resources and its administration. 
No one in his right mind can ask Iraq not to resist 
and not to defend its dignity and territory." 
GNEHM