US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI1615

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001615 
 
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 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE WAR IN IRAQ, IRAQI CIVILIAN CASUALTIES, AND THE 
CAPTURE AND RENAMING OF THE SADDAM HUSSEIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 
BY COALITION FORCES DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE MEDIA.  AN "AL 
BAYAN" EDITORIAL DESCRIBED THE SITUATION IN IRAQ AS A "HUMAN 
CATASTROPHE" AND CRITICIZED ARABS FOR THEIR FAILURE TO ACT.  AN 
"AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIAL COMMENTED THAT THE CATASTROPHE AWAITING 
BAGHDAD AND OCCURRING ELSEWHERE IN IRAQ IS A CRIME AGAINST 
HUMANITY.  UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN REVEALED HER HATRED TOWARDS 
THE U.S. IN HER "AL BAYAN" COLUMN.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  UAE ARABIC NEWSPAPERS PUBLISHED EXCERPTS OF THE APRIL 3, 
2003, FACT SHEET ON THE MIDDLE EAST PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE UNDER 
THE FOLLOWING 4/5 HEADLINES: 
 
-- "UNDER THE COVER OF PARTNERSHIP AND POLITICAL AND EDUCATIONAL 
REFORM, AMERICA ANNOUNCES ITS PLANS TO CHANGE THE FACE OF THE 
REGION" (SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ") 
-- "U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE ANNOUNCES THEIR PLAN FOR POLITICAL 
AND ECONOMIC REFORM IN THE MIDDLE EAST" (ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI- 
GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD") 
 
3.  COMMENTING ON POWELL'S STATEMENT TO THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF 
THE EUROPEAN UNION, "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 4/5: 
 
"... POWELL'S STATEMENT TO THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE EUROPEAN 
UNION, ANNOUNCING THAT THE UN WILL HAVE NO ROLE TO PLAY IN THE 
POST-SADDAM ERA, IN ADDITION TO WHAT THE AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS 
REVEALED REGARDING THE AMERICAN MANAGEMENT OF OIL ISSUES IN IRAQ 
AND A MILITARY GOVERNMENT CONSISTING OF AMERICAN GENERALS, SHOWS 
THAT IRAQ WILL BE UNDER DIRECT AMERICAN COLONIAL CONTROL, AND ALL 
IRAQ'S POLITICAL, ECONOMICAL, AND SOCIAL CAPABILITIES WILL BE 
CONTROLLED IN THE NEW COLONY.  THE UK AND U.S. ARE COMMITTING 
MASSACRES AND EXECUTING RANDOM DESTRUCTION IN THE NAME OF 
DEMOCRACY AND LIBERATION ..." 
 
4.  DESCRIBING U.S. SENATOR ROBERT BYRD AS "AN AMERICAN CRYING 
OVER HIS COUNTRY," IBN KHALDOUN WROTE IN "AL KHALEEJ" ON 4/5: 
 
"... SENATOR BYRD ASKS: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE U.S.?  SINCE WHEN 
DOES IT REBUKE AND IGNORE ITS FRIENDS (COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD), 
AND SINCE WHEN DOES IT JEOPARDIZE THE DESTRUCTION OF WORLD ORDER 
AND RESORT TO FORCE WHEN THE WHOLE WORLD ASKS FOR DIPLOMACY? 
WHEN IS THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT GOING TO REALIZE THAT U.S. POWER 
IS NOT IN ITS MILITARY ARSENAL AND NOT IN ITS ABILITY TO 
HUMILIATE OTHERS, BUT IN IT BEING THE SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR 
THE WHOLE WORLD?" 
 
5.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "HUMAN CATASTROPHE," DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS- 
ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 4/5: 
 
"... ALL THAT WE HEAR ARE REPORTS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO LETTERS OF 
CONDOLENCE.  WHAT IS REALLY REQUIRED IS AN URGENT MOVE TO HELP 
THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN OF IRAQ AND PROVIDE THEM WITH THE MINIMUM 
LEVEL OF HUMANITARIAN AID.  IT WOULD BE SHAMEFUL IF WE DO NOT ACT 
TO PROTECT A WHOLE GENERATION FROM DYING.  OUR BROTHERS IN IRAQ 
FEEL THAT THE ARAB NATION HAS FAILED TO SAVE THEM FROM THIS 
BURNING WAR ... INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SENT CALLS TO HELP 
THE IRAQIS, AND IT IS REGRETTABLE THAT WE HAVE NOT HEARD ANY 
JOINT ARAB ACTION TO SAVE THE IRAQIS FROM DEATH, HUNGER, AND 
THIRST." 
 
6.  ANNOUNCING HER HATRED TOWARDS THE U.S., UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA 
SULTAN WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" ON 4/5: 
 
"... I KNOW THIS PARK (IN WASHINGTON, DC) VERY WELL SINCE I TOOK 
WALKS THERE FOR MANY YEARS, BUT AFTER HEARING THE NEWS REPORTS 
ABOUT IRAQ, I FELT A STRANGE HATRED TOWARDS ALL THAT HAS TO DO 
WITH WASHINGTON, THIS CAPITAL THAT BROUGHT US EVIL AND HATRED AND 
HAS BECOME OUR ENEMY FOR NO REASON ... PEOPLE THERE ARE STROLLING 
DOWN THE PARK HAPPILY WITH THEIR CHILDREN IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL 
PLACE ON EARTH ... WHILE THE CHILDREN OF IRAQ SLEEP DREAMING OF 
DEATH AND WAKE UP WITH DESTRUCTION ..." 
 
7.  NOTING THE CATASTROPHE AWAITING THE PEOPLE OF BAGHDAD, 
"AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED ON 4/4: 
 
"... IN SPITE OF THE CATASTROPHE AWAITING THE PEOPLE IN BAGHDAD, 
THE IRAQI REGIME SEEMS NOT TO CARE ABOUT WHAT'S OCCURRING SINCE 
THEY ARE HIDING IN STRONGLY FORTIFIED BUNKERS THAT CAN RESIST WMD 
... THE TWO WARRING PARTIES SHOULD NOT USES CIVILIANS AS TARGETS, 
AND SHOULD NOT USE HOLY PLACES, HISTORICAL PLACES, HOSPITALS, AND 
SCHOOLS AS TARGETS FOR BOMBING OR FIRING POSITIONS.  SUCH ACTS 
SHOULD BE CONSIDERED CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY." 
 
8.  COMMENTING ON THE ANTICIPATED SITUATION IN IRAQ AFTER SADDAM 
AMD EUROPEAN CONCERN FOR THEIR PROFITS IN THIS NEW ERA, 
"AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED ON 4/4: 
 
"... GOING BACK TO THE UN IN ORDER TO HAVE A ROLE IN THE POST- 
SADDAM ERA MEANS TRYING TO STOP THE U.S. FROM DOMINATING AND 
CONTROLLING IRAQ.  STATEMENTS FROM LONDON INDICATE THE UK IS 
MEETING WITH PARIS, MOSCOW, AND BERLIN TO DISCUSS THIS ISSUE, 
SINCE THE UK ITSELF IS AFRAID THAT WASHINGTON AND ITS COMPANIES 
WILL CONTROL IRAQ, AND THE UK WILL ONLY BE SPARED THE LEFTOVERS." 
 
WAHBA