US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI1580

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 001580 
 
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; NSC 
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 
CONTRACTS FOR POST-WAR IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE WAR IN IRAQ, IRAQI CIVILIAN CASUALTIES, AND 
U.S. PLANS FOR POST-WAR IRAQ DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE MEDIA. 
"AL KHALEEJ" AND "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALS CRITICIZED AMERICAN AND 
BRITISH TROOPS TREATMENT OF CIVILIANS IN IRAQ.  IN AN "AL 
ITTIHAD" OP-ED, ABDULLAH RASHEED LAMBASTED ARAB SATELLITE TV 
CHANNELS FOR THEIR "STUPID" COVERAGE AND MANIPULATION AT THE 
HANDS OF THE IRAQI REGIME.  UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN BLASTED 
U.S. ACTIONS AND POST-WAR PLANS FOR IRAQ IN "AL BAYAN."  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "INNOCENT BLOOD," DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS- 
ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 4/02: 
 
"THE CURRENT WAR AGAINST IRAQ HAS ENTERED A GRAVE STAGE ... WE 
ARE CONTENT WITH THE REMARKS MADE BY TWO BRITISH SOLDIERS WHO RAN 
AWAY FROM THE BATTLES IN IRAQ.  THEY ASSERTED THEIR DISAPPROVAL 
IN TAKING PART IN THIS 'DIRTY' WAR AIMED AT KILLING INNOCENT 
CIVILIANS." 
 
3.  COMMENTING ON THE CIVILIAN CASUALTIES IN IRAQ, SHARJAH-BASED 
PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 4/02: 
 
"... THE APOLOGIES ANNOUNCED BY BRITISH AND AMERICAN OFFICIALS 
ARE SIMILAR TO KILLING SOMEONE AND LATER TAKING PART IN HIS 
FUNERAL, ESPECIALLY WHEN EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN DONE IS WRONG, 
AND WHAT IRAQ HAS BEEN FACING SINCE MARCH 20TH IS A SCANDAL AND A 
CRIME AT THE SAME TIME ... EVERY DAY THAT PASSES CARRIES WITH IT 
MORE SCANDALS AND CRIMES." 
 
4.  CRITICIZING ARAB SATELLITE TV CHANNELS, UAE COLUMNIST ABDULLA 
RASHEED WROTE IN ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" ON 
4/02: 
 
"... SINCE THE FIRST DAY OF THE WAR, SADDAM AND HIS REGIME, WHO 
HAVE BEEN SHOWING THEIR MUSCLE ON THESE STUPID (ARAB) SATELLITE 
CHANNELS, ARE LIVING UNDERGROUND IN BUNKERS THAT CAN RESIST AND 
SURVIVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS ... THE BEST THING THESE STUPID SATELLITE 
STATIONS CAN DO FOR THE IRAQI PEOPLE IS TO SHUT DOWN.  OUR 
DISGUST FOR YOU HAS BECOME UNSPEAKABLE." 
 
5.  DISPARAGING THE IRAQI OPPOSITION, UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN 
WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" ON 4/02: 
 
"... SO THE IRAQI PEOPLE, NOT THE IRAQI OPPOSITION, WILL RESIST 
THE INVADERS IF THEY THINK OF OCCUPYING IRAQ!  SO WHAT ARE THE 
AMERICANS DOING IN IRAQ NOW?  AREN'T THEY OCCUPYING IT RIGHT IN 
FRONT OF THE EYES OF THE WHOLE WORLD, AREN'T THEY DESTROYING IT 
IN ORDER TO REBUILD IT, AND THEREFORE DOUBLE THEIR PROFIT?  THE 
ESTIMATED COST OF THE WAR AS GRANTED BY CONGRESS IS 75 BILLION 
DOLLARS, MONEY LATER TO BE TAKEN FROM IRAQI OIL REVENUES.  IRAQ 
IS BEING DESTROYED BY THE AMERICANS, AND LATER ON, ALL THE 
REBUILDING CONTRACTS FOR BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WILL BE GIVEN TO 
TEXAS COMPANIES ... BRITISH AND AMERICANS ARE DIVIDING IRAQ:  ITS 
LAND, OIL, AND MONEY.  THEY ARE ALSO DIVIDING THE KILLING OF 
IRAQIS.  ISRAEL ALSO HAS A SHARE AND IS THINKING OF REOPENING THE 
HAIFA-MOSUL PIPELINE IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THEIR DESIRE FOR THE 
LAND 'FROM THE NILE TO THE EUPHRATES.'  ALL THIS IS HAPPENING 
WHILE THE OPPOSITION REMAINS HOPEFUL TO RULE IRAQ!" 
 
WAHBA