US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI1564

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001564 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR TFIZ01; 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 WARNINGS TO SYRIA CIVILIAN 
CASUALTIES SUICIDE BOMBERS 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE WAR IN IRAQ, CASUALTIES AMONG IRAQI CIVILIANS, 
SUICIDE BOMBERS HEADED TO BAGHDAD, AND SECRETARY POWELL'S 
WARNINGS TO SYRIA DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE MEDIA.  EDITORIALS IN 
"AL KHALEEJ" AND "AL BAYAN" CLAIM THAT POWELL'S THREAT TO SYRIA 
SERVES ISRAEL'S INTERESTS AND WHAT WAS SAID IN WHISPERS IS NOW 
CLEARLY ANNOUNCED.  IN AN "AL KHALEEJ" OP-ED, DR. ABDULKHALEQ 
ABDULLA CRITICIZED WHAT HE CALLED "A CONFUSED GCC POSITION" 
TOWARDS THE WAR.  IN "AL ITTIHAD" ARTICLE, ABDULLA RASHEED 
CRITICIZED THE SHALLOW REPORTING ON NUMEROUS ARAB SATELLITE 
CHANNELS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  ALLEGING SECRETARY POWELL'S WARNING TO SYRIA IS FOR ISRAEL'S 
BENEFIT, SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 
4/01: 
 
"... ALONG WITH THE UK, WASHINGTON IS WAGING AN INVASION AGAINST 
IRAQ, WARMING UP WITH ISRAEL AGAINST SYRIA, AND IN THE 
BACKGROUND, THERE ARE LOOMING HOSTILE INTENTIONS TO TARGET 
LEBANON IN ADDITION TO THE ONGOING WAR OF LIQUIDATION AGAINST THE 
PALESTINIANS.  THE WHOLE ARAB REGION WILL BE RESHAPED THROUGH 
KILLING AND DESTRUCTION." 
 
3.  UNDER THE HEADLINE, "ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SYRIA," DUBAI-BASED 
BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 4/01: 
 
"... POWELL MADE HIS RECENT REMARKS BEFORE THE ZIONIST AIPAC... 
THIS IS HIS REAL IDENTITY, WHICH REFUTES CLAIMS ABOUT WASHINGTON 
HAVING BOTH HAWKS AND DOVES.  ALL OF THEM ARE ALIKE:  LOYAL TO 
ISRAEL AND HOSTILE TO THE ARABS." 
 
4.  CLAIMING THE WAR HAS DISPOSED OF ALL PRETENSES, UAE COLUMNIST 
AYSHA SULTAN WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" ON 4/01: 
 
"... YES, BUSH IRRITATES US WITH HIS STATEMENTS, HE STABS US DEEP 
IN OUR HEARTS, OUR DEEPEST WOUNDS, AND OUR SORROW WHEN HE STANDS 
AND BOASTS OF VICTORY FOR HIS TROOPS, STATING THAT THEY ARE DOING 
THEIR JOBS AND TASKS PROPERLY!  CLAPPING AND APPLAUSE OCCUR ALL 
AROUND HIM, WHILE BLOOD IS SHED AND MARTYRS FALL.  YES, MR. 
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT:  OUR MURDER IS GOING JUST AS YOU PLANNED!" 
 
5.  UNDER THE HEADLINE, "A CONFUSED GCC POSITION," UAE COLUMNIST 
DR. ABDULKHALEQ ABDULLA WROTE IN "AL KHALEEJ" ON 4/01: 
 
"... THIS WAR HAS PUT THE GCC COUNTRIES IN A VERY AWKWARD 
POSITION, WHICH WILL GET WORSE IF THIS WAR GOES ON FOR A LONG 
TIME ... WHAT ARE THEIR POST-WAR PLANS?  WHAT IS THEIR POSITION 
TOWARDS IRAQ: A NEW IRAQ OR THE OLD IRAQ?  THE IRAQ OF SADDAM (IF 
HE IS STILL THERE) OR IRAQ AFTER SADDAM?  HOW ARE THEY GOING TO 
REACT TOWARDS THE AMERICAN MILITARY VICTORY OR FAILURE?  MORE 
IMPORTANTLY, HOW WOULD THEY DEAL WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT IN AN 
ARAB WORLD MOBILIZED AGAINST THE WAR AND EACH PARTY PARTICIPATING 
IN THE ONGOING MASSACRE?  IF THE CURRENT SITUATION IS CONFUSING 
FOR THE GCC COUNTRIES, THEN THE POST-WAR ERA WILL BE MORE 
CONFUSING, AND IT IS ABOUT TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT THE 
FUTURE." 
 
6.  CRITICIZING AMERICAN WEAPONS OF DESTRUCTION, "AL KHALEEJ" 
EDITORIALIZED ON 3/31: 
 
"... POLITICAL AND MILITARY OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCING LIES 
DAILY REGARDING ATTACKS ON IRAQ ... COULD THE BRITISH-AMERICAN 
WEAPONS OF KILLING AND DESTRUCTION BE BOTH INTELLIGENT AND 
STUPID?  INTELLIGENT, SINCE THEY DO NOT ATTACK IRAQI CIVILIANS, 
WHOM THEY CLAIM THEY ARE GOING TO 'LIBERATE.'  STUPID, SINCE THEY 
ATTACKED THEIR OWN SOLDIERS MORE THAN ONCE, AND THEIR MISSILES 
FELL (BY MISTAKE) IN IRAN, TURKEY AND SAUDI ARABIA..." 
 
7.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "STOP THE WAR," "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 
3/31: 
 
"... IT IS SAD THAT DESPITE THE TREMOR AGAINST THE WAR ALL OVER 
THE WORLD, WEAPONS OF WAR ARE STILL CAUSING DESTRUCTION 
EVERYWHERE ... WHAT IS REALLY FRIGHTENING IS THAT AMERICAN 
OFFICIALS SAY THAT THE ACTUAL WAR HAS NOT STARTED YET, REFERRING 
TO A PLAN FOR ATTACKING BAGHDAD.  WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE LAND OF 
MESOPOTAMIA WHEN THIS 'ACTUAL' WAR STARTS?  IT WILL MEAN MORE 
DESTRUCTION, KILLING, AND THE FURTHER DISPLACEMENT OF THE IRAQI 
PEOPLE." 
 
8.  CRITICIZING ARAB SATELLITE TV CHANNELS, UAE COLUMNIST ABDULLA 
RASHEED WROTE IN ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" ON 
3/31: 
 
"... WE RECEIVE AROUND 60 ARAB SATELLITE CHANNELS, HALF ARE 
REPORTING THE WAR IN IRAQ FOR ALMOST 24 HOURS DAY AND NIGHT, BUT 
I AM SURE THAT WE CANNOT FIND TWO CHANNELS THAT AGREE ON ONE 
POINT OR ONE PIECE OF INFORMATION." 
 
9.  COMMENTING ON DEMOCRACY IN THE ARAB WORLD, CHIEF EDITOR OF 
"AL-KHALEEJ" DR. ABDULLA TERYAM WROTE IN AN EDITORIAL 3/25: 
 
"... THE ARAB POPULATION SEEMS TO BE ISOLATED AND STRANGE IN ITS 
OWN LAND SINCE IT IS DEPRIVED OF THE SLIGHTEST HUMAN RIGHTS, 
INCLUDING PARTICIPATION AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.  IT WILL NOT 
GET OUT OF THIS ISOLATION EXCEPT THROUGH ONE DOOR:  FREEDOM, 
WHICH HAS ONLY ONE MEANING, AND THAT IS DEMOCRACY, PARTICIPATION, 
FREE ELECTIONS, AND HEALTHY REPRESENTATIVE COUNCILS.  ISLAM IS IN 
ITS WORST HISTORICAL CRISIS, WHICH MEANS ARABISM IS IN A BIGGER 
CRISIS, SINCE AS LONG AS ISLAM IS WELL, ARABISM IS WELL..." 
 
10.  UNDER THE HEADLINE, "WHAT ARE THE ARABS WAITING FOR?," 
PROMINENT EMIRATI BUSINESSMAN KHALAF AHMED AL HABTOOR WROTE IN 
THE EXPATRIATE-ORIENTED ENGLISH DAILY "GULF NEWS" ON 4/1: 
 
"... WHEN PALESTINE AND BAGHDAD ARE ENCIRCLED, IT MEANS THAT THE 
WHOLE ARAB HOMELAND IS UNDER SIEGE!  WHO OF US CAN CLAIM THAT HE 
DOES NOT LIVE IN THE HUGE JAIL MADE FOR US BY THE WEST, 
STRANGLING US WITH THEIR BARBED WIRE, LIMITING OUR MOVEMENT, 
THINKING, FREEDOM, AND EVEN DREAMING SPACE.  WHAT WE NEED TO DO 
NOW, TO AVOID BEING STRANGLED, IS TO JOIN OUR RANKS ON THE 
OFFICIAL AND POPULAR LEVEL TO FIGHT AND RESIST THE COMING SIEGE." 
 
WAHBA