US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI1811

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001811 
 
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:  THREATS TO SYRIA CONTROL OF IRAQ 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  U.S. WARNINGS TO SYRIA, U.S. CONTROL OF IRAQ, AND 
TODAY'S MEETING IN NASSERIYA FOR IRAQI COMMUNITY LEADERS 
DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE MEDIA.  UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA SULTAN 
WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" THAT SYRIA IS NOT THE ONLY TARGET.  AN "AL 
ITTIHAD" EDITORIAL DESCRIBED THE IRAQI OPPOSITION MEETING AS "A 
TRUE TEST."  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED ARABIC DAILY "AL-BAYAN" CARRIED 
A FIRST PAGE ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY LONDON BASED "SAWT AL OROBA." 
THE ARTICLE INCLUDED A STATEMENT BY AN AMERICAN OFFICIAL ABOUT A 
DEAL BETWEEN U.S. FORCES AND IRAQI ARMED FORCES THAT LED TO THE 
FALL OF BAGHDAD.  FURTHER DETAILS WERE REPORTED IN AN INTERNAL 
ARTICLE IN "AL BAYAN."  THE ARTICLE CLAIMED THAT THE DEAL WAS 
CONTINGENT UPON THE BOMBING OF AL JAZEERA AND ABU DHABI TV AT THE 
PALESTINE HOTEL TO PROHIBIT MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE DEAL. 
 
3.  ABU DHABI TV AIRED A TWO-HOUR PROGRAM LAST NIGHT THAT DEVOTED 
ONE WHOLE HOUR TO DISCUSSING THE THEORY OF OIL BEING THE MAIN 
OBJECTIVE FOR U.S.'S WAR AGAINST IRAQ.  THE PROGRAM CORRESPONDENT 
JASSEM AZZAWI INTERVIEWED THE FORMER SAUDI OIL MINISTER, MOHAMMED 
ZAKI AL YAMANI, WHO DEEPENED THIS IDEA AND NOTED THAT HE 
PREDICTED THIS WAR IN 1996. 
 
4.  SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL-KHALEEJ" CARRIED THE 
ATTACHED CARTOON, FOR WHICH THE CAPTION READS:  "DON'T MAKE A 
MISTAKE ... THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE ... I AM NOT LIKE HIM ... 
HULAGU DROWNED THE BAGHDAD LIBRARY ... I BURNED IT!!!"  (NOTE: 
HULAGU KHAN IS THE MONGHOL EMPEROR WHO SACKED AND BURNED BAGHDAD 
IN 1258.  DURING HIS DESTRUCTION OF BAGHDAD, HULAGU ORDERED THE 
BOOKS OF THE BAGHDAD LIBRARY THROWN INTO THE TIGRES RIVER TO 
SYMBOLIZE HIS DESTRUCTION OF NOT ONLY THE CITY BUT A CULTURE, A 
CIVILIZATION, AND A PEOPLE'S HISTORY.  END NOTE.) 
 
5.  ENGLISH-LANGUAGE EXPATRIATE-ORIENTED GULF NEWS CARRIED FRONT- 
PAGE A FRENCH PRESS AGENCY (AFP) WIRE ARTICLE ON THE SELECTION OF 
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO MOROCCO MARGARET TUTWILER TO SUPERVISE PUBLIC 
RELATIONS FOR THE OFFICE OF HUMANITARIAN AND RECONSTRUCTION 
ASSISTANCE IN IRAQ. 
 
6.  COMMENTING ON THE EXPECTED IRAQI OPPOSITION MEETING TODAY IN 
NASSERIYA, SEMI-OFFICIAL ABU DHABI-BASED ARABIC DAILY "AL- 
ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED 4/15: 
 
"... THIS MEETING IS A TRUE TEST FOR OPPOSITION MEMBERS OF 
VARIOUS LOYALTIES, ESPECIALLY AT A TIME WHEN MANY DOUBTS ARE 
RISING, IN ADDITION TO THEIR VARIOUS LOYALTIES, THEIR 
CONNECTIONS, AND THEIR ABILITY TO EXPRESS THEIR PEOPLE'S 
INTERESTS TRULY ... WILL THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ, WHO ARE NOT IN THE 
OPPOSITION ANYMORE, SUCCEED IN BECOMING A PART OF THE PRESENT AND 
FUTURE OF THE NEW IRAQ?" 
 
7.  IN A CLOSING STATEMENT, SALEM WROTE IN "AL-KHALEEJ" ON 4/15: 
 
"... WE ALL REMEMBER THE OUTCRY THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE WHOLE 
WORLD WHEN THE TALIBAN SOME YEARS AGO DESTROYED THE 'BUDDHA' 
STATUE IN AFGHANISTAN.  ONE OF THE COUNTRIES THAT DISAPPROVED OF 
THIS WAS OF COURSE THE U.S., WHO IS CONCERNED, AS IT CLAIMS, WITH 
HUMANITY, CIVILIZATION, AND HERITAGE.  BUT WHAT WE ARE WITNESSING 
IN BAGHDAD, BASRA, AND MOSUL OF THE LOOTING OF MUSEUMS (INCLUDING 
AN INHERITANCE DAITING MORE THAN 5 THOUSAND YEARS) UNDER THE EYES 
OF THE U.S. TROOPS, ASSERTS THAT THE U.S. IS USING HUMANITY, 
CIVILIZATION, AND HERITAGE AS A 'RASPBERRY LEAF' TO COVER THEIR 
BARBARISM."  (NOTE:  CERTAIN RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS CLAIM RASPBERRY 
LEAVES WERE USED BY ADAM AND EVE TO COVER THEMSELVES UPON THE 
REALIZATION OF THEIR NAKEDNESS IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN.  END NOTE.) 
 
8.  RESPONDING TO U.S. WARNINGS TO SYRIA, UAE COLUMNIST AYSHA 
SULTAN WROTE IN "AL BAYAN" ON 4/15: 
 
"THE QUESTION ON EVERYONE'S MIND IN THE ARAB WORLD IS SUMMARIZED 
IN THREE WORDS:  WHOSE TURN IS IT?  THIS MEANS THE NEXT U.S. 
TARGET AFTER IRAQ!  THE QUESTION IS VERY CRUEL AND PAINFUL BUT 
THE ANSWER IS NOT AS EASY AS PEOPLE THINK.  UK FOREIGN MINISTER 
JACK STRAW STATED THAT THE ISSUE IS NOT ABOUT A LIST AND THAT 
SYRIA IS NOT THE NEXT TARGET.  YES, THE ISSUE IS NOT A LIST 
BECAUSE EVERYONE IS A TARGET AND THE NEXT TARGET IS NOT ONLY 
SYRIA.  WHAT THIS MEANS IS NOT ONLY THE REGIMES, EVERYONE IS 
GOING TO FACE THIS WHIRLWIND:  REGIMES AND PEOPLE, 
FUNDAMENTALISTS AND LIBERALS, ARAB NATIONALISTS AND MUSLIMS ... 
EVERYONE WILL FACE THIS WHIRLWIND!!" 
 
WAHBA