US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI1656

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001656 
 
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 
U.S. PLANS FOR POST-WAR IRAQ DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE MEDIA. 
UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" THAT ONLY THE U.S. 
AND NONE OF ITS ALLIES WILL CONTROL POST-WAR IRAQ.  ANOTHER UAE 
COLUMNIST, DR. SHAMLAN AL EISSA POINTED OUT THAT THE ARAB AND 
GULF COUNTRIES HAVE THE SAME DOUBLE STANDARDS OF WHICH THEY 
ACCUSE THE U.S.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  ASSERTING THAT ISRAEL WILL BENEFIT FROM THE WAR IN IRAQ, 
SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 4/7: 
 
"... THE GOAL OF ATTACKING IRAQ IS TO ENSURE THE OIL (IS 
PROTECTED) AND TO ELIMINATE ANY POTENTIAL THREATS AGAINST ISRAEL. 
THIS GOAL IS FAR FROM THE FALSE AMERICAN STATEMENTS ABOUT 
'FREEDOM' AND 'DEMOCRACY' ... THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO IMPOSE A 
SETTLEMENT WITH ISRAELI CONDITIONS ON THE PALESTINIANS, SYRIA, 
AND LEBANON.  ANYONE WHO DOES NOT ACCEPT THIS WILL FACE THE 
MACHINES OF DESTRUCTION AND KILLING ALREADY EXISTING IN THE 
REGION AND READY TO DISCIPLINE THOSE WHO DO NOT LEARN FROM THE 
'IRAQI LESSON' ..." 
 
3.  COMMENTING ON BOTH SHEIKH ZAYED'S AND PRESIDENT BUSH'S 
INITIATIVES FOR IRAQ, UAE COLUMNIST ABDULLA RASHEED WROTE IN ABU 
DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" ON 4/7: 
 
"... SHEIKH ZAYED'S INITIATIVE CAME FROM A MAN DEVOTED TO HIS 
NATION AND THE ARAB WORLD, AND WHICH WAS FOR THE SAKE AND BENEFIT 
OF ARABS.  HOWEVER, PRESIDENT BUSH'S INITIATIVE LOOKS FIRST AND 
FOREMOST AT U.S INTERESTS, WHICH IS NATURAL, AND THEN SHIFTS TO 
OTHERS' INTERESTS.  DESPITE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE TWO 
INITIATIVES, SADDAM INSISTED ON CHOOSING PRESIDENT BUSH'S 
INITIATIVE TO SOLVE THIS CRISIS.  SO, PLEASE DON'T BLAME US BUT 
BLAME YOURSELVES ..." 
 
4.  COMMENTING ON THE EXPECTED NEW AMERICAN GOVERNMENT IN IRAQ, 
UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN WROTE IN DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED 
"AL BAYAN" ON 4/7: 
 
"... A RETIRED U.S. GENERAL (J.GARNER) WILL BE THE CIVIL RULER, 
TOMMY FRANKS WILL BE THE MILITARY RULER, AND THERE WILL BE 13 
U.S. MINISTERS ASSISTED BY 4 CONSULTANTS FROM THE IRAQI 
OPPOSITION!  ALLIES DON'T MATTER WHEN IT'S TIME TO EAT THE CAKE! 
THIS IS THE SECRET BEHIND THE BRITISH INSISTENCE THAT IRAQIS 
SHOULD CONTROL IRAQ AFTER THE WAR ... THE BAD TIMES ARE NOT HERE 
YET, WHAT WE ARE FACING NOW IS STILL AN INTRODUCTION TO A GREEK 
COMEDY.  IN THE COMING WEEKS AND MONTHS THE NEXT STEP OF THE 
AMERICAN RIGHT WING WILL BE REVEALED, AND EVERYONE KNOWS THE NEXT 
U.S. STEP.  IN THE COMING DAYS, THE U.S. WILL FLOOD THE WORLD 
WITH IRAQI OIL IN ORDER TO REGAIN THE COSTS OF WAR AND TO RE- 
BUILD IRAQ.  THE OIL PRODUCTION WILL EXCEED 5 OR EVEN 7 MILLION 
BARRELS A DAY, AND PRICES WILL DECREASE AND MIGHT REACH 10 
DOLLARS PER BARREL!  WE SHOULD RECALL THE REMARKS MADE BY THE 
STATE DEPARTMENT GODFATHER, THE JEWISH HENRY KESSINGER IN 1973 
FOLLOWING THE OIL CRISIS: 'WE WILL MAKE ARABS DRINK THEIR OIL 
JUST LIKE WATER!" 
 
5.  NOTING THE ARAB AND GULF COUNTRIES' DOUBLE STANDARDS IN THEIR 
MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE WAR AGAINST IRAQ, COLUMNIST DR. SHAMLAN AL 
EISSA WROTE IN "AL ITTIHAD" ON 4/6: 
 
"... THE DILEMMA FACING THE ARAB WORLD AND GULF COUNTRIES IS THAT 
THEY HAVE THE SAME FAULTS OF WHICH THEY ACCUSE THE U.S.  THESE 
FAULTS ARE CLEARLY SHOWN IN THEIR DOUBLE STANDARDS.  EXAMPLES OF 
THAT ARE MANY, WE MENTION HERE THE GULF MEDIA HOSTILE TOWARDS THE 
U.S AND SUPPORTIVE OF IRAQ ..." 
 
6.  COMMENTING ON U.S. EXCUSES FOR THE WAR IN IRAQ, "AL-KHALEEJ" 
EDITORIALIZED 4/6: 
 
"... THE U.S. PRESIDENT CLAIMS THAT ATTACKING IRAQ IS TO DEFEND 
U.S. SECURITY AND WORLD PEACE.  THE FACT IS THAT THE RASH 
POLICIES OF HIS ADMINISTRATION ARE WHAT BRINGS OUT HATRED TOWARDS 
THE U.S., AND THIS POLICY IS WHAT THREATENS WORLD SECURITY AND 
PEACE... " 
 
7.  COMMENTING ON FORMER CIA DIRECTOR JAMES WOOLSEY'S WARNINGS TO 
SAUDI ARABIA AND EGYPT FOR THE NEXT PHASE, COLUMNIST HOSSAM 
KANAFANI WROTE IN "AL KHALEEJ" ON 4/6: 
 
"... PERHAPS THE STATEMENT OF THE FORMER CIA DIRECTOR, JAMES 
WOOLSEY, TWO DAYS AGO, INDICATES U.S. INTENTIONS FOR THE REGION, 
SINCE WELSEY IS NOMINATED TO BECOME MINISTER OF INFORMATION IN 
THE POST-SADDAM AMERICAN GOVERNMENT ..." 
 
8.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "WHAT'S COMING IS WORSE," UAE COLUMNIST 
IBN AL DEIRA WROTE IN "AL KHALEEJ" ON 4/6: 
 
"... THE DEMOCRACY OF GENERAL GARNER THAT WILL BE COMING ON TANKS 
AND OVER THE DEAD BODIES OF IRAQIS IS NOT THE DEMOCRACY THAT 
IRAQIS HAVE BEEN DREAMING OF.  IRAQ HAS BEEN BAD DURING SADDAM'S 
REGIME BUT IT WILL BE WORSE DURING GARNERS ..." 
 
9.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "TROOPS HUMILIATING PROUD IRAQIS," MOHAMED 
ALMEZEL, BAHRAIN BUREAU CHIEF FOR EXPATRIATE-ORIENTED ENGLISH 
DAILY "GULF NEWS" WROTE AN ARTICLE ON 4/6 CRITICAL OF AMERICAN 
AND BRITISH TROOPS TREATMEMT OF IRAQIS AT MILITARY CHECKPOINTS. 
AL-MEZEL NOTED IRAQ'S HISTORY AS A 'CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION' AND 
URGED COALITION FORCES TO RESPECT THE DIGNITY AND CULTURE OF 
IRAQ.  AL-MEZEL LINKED AMERICAN ACTIONS IN IRAQ TO ISRAEL'S 
OCCUPATION OF THE PALESTINIANS, REFERRING TO AN AMERICAN SOLDIER 
ARRESTING AN IRAQI AND TYING HIS HANDS WITH A PLASTIC CORD AS 
"THE SAME TYPE USED BY ISRAELI SOLDIERS IN THE PALESTINIAN 
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES." 
 
WAHBA