US embassy cable - 03AMMAN2678

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002678 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR, 
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN 
USAID/ANE/MEA 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KMDR JO 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON ROAD MAP, ALTERNATIVE 
PALESTINIAN HOMELAND IN JORDAN, IRAQ, SYRIA 
 
NEWS REPORTS 
ROAD MAP 
DAILIES REPORTED THE MEETING BETWEEN A/S. BURNS AND 
ABOU MAZEN.  THE STORIES HIGHLIGHTED THAT BURNS DID 
NOT CONVEY TO THE PALESTINIANS AN ISRAELI UNDERTAKING 
TO IMPLEMENT THE ROAD MAP, THAT HE ASKED ABOU MAZEN TO 
FIGHT TERRORISM, AND THAT, AT THE SAME TIME, HE ASKED 
THE ISRAELIS TO STOP SETTLEMENT ACTIVITY. 
 
IRAQ 
THE LEAD STORY IN SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC 
DAILY AL-RAI WAS GEN. GARNER'S PROMISE THAT A JOINT 
IRAQI-AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION WOULD BE FORMED BY MID 
MAY.  THE SAME STORY APPEARED ON THE FRONT PAGES OF 
ALL JORDANIAN DAILIES, WHICH HIGHLIGHTED THE 
PARTITIONING OF IRAQ INTO FOUR ADMINISTRATIVE AREAS.. 
 
SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI REPORTED 
A STATEMENT BY THE MINSTER OF INFORMATION, THAT 
WASHINGTON DID NOT INVITE JORDAN TO TAKE PART IN THE 
SECURITY-KEEPING FORCES IN IRAQ, AND THAT HE COUNTRY'S 
PARTICIPATION IN SUCH AN EFFORT IS CONTINGENT ON AN 
INTERNATIONAL MANDATE. 
 
ALL DAILIES REPORTED THE ARREST OF HUDA AMMASH, THE 
IRAQI MICROBIOLOGICAL SCIENTIST AND MEMBER OF THE 
BA'TH COUNCIL WHO WAS 53RD ON THE LIST OF IRAQIS 
WANTED BY THE U.S. 
 
SYRIA 
SEMI-OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI REPORTED 
THAT THE MINSTER OF INFORMATION DENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE 
OF A SECRET MEETING BETWEEN MAHER AL-ASSAD AND THE 
FORMER SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE ISRAELI MINISTRY OF 
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, EITAN TSOUR. 
 
 
EDITORIAL COMMENTARIES 
-- LEST THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION BE GIVEN INTERNATIONAL 
LEGITIMACY 
FORMER SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE 
MOHAMMAD NAJI AMAYREH WROTE IN SEMI-OFFICIAL 
INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON MAY 6: "THE U.S. 
SEEKS TO EMBELLISH THE IMAGE OF ITS OCCUPATION BY 
SEEKING THE ASSISTANCE OF COUNTRIES FROM OUTSIDE THE 
SO-CALLED COALITION, IN ORDER TO DISTRACT ATTENTION 
FORM ITS VIOLATIONS IN IRAQ, THAT INCLUDE ITS ATTEMPTS 
TO PARTITION IRAQ, THAT IT SEEKS TO DO GRADUALLY AND 
WITHOUT FUSS.  THE UN AND COUNTRIES OF THE REGION 
SHOULD BE CAREFUL NOT TO BE LURED INTO GIVING THE 
OCCUPATION AN INTERNATIONAL LEGITIMACY THAT IT LACKS." 
 
-- EXPORTING BOMBASTIC SLOGANS TO THE IRAQIS 
DAILY COLUMNIST MAHMOUD AL-RIMAWI WROTE IN SEMI- 
OFFICIAL INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-RAI ON MAY 6: 
"THE AUTOMATIC RUSH TO [ADVOCATE] ARMED RESISTANCE, 
UNDER THE PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES, WILL ONLY INCREASE 
THE SUFFERING OF THE IRAQIS, DELAY THE EVOLUTION OF AN 
ADMINISTRATION, AND PRODUCE MORE SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS 
DIVIDES.  ALTHOUGH ONE ONLY BOWS IN RESPECT TO 
SPORADIC ACTS OF RESISTANCE THAT AFFIRM THE IRAQIS 
RIGHT TO FREEDOM, ARMED RESISTANCE SHOULD NOT BE THE 
FIRST OR OPTIMAL COURSE OF ACTION AT PRESENT.  WE 
SHOULD TAKE THE MESSAGE FROM THE REJECTION OF ARAB 
VOLUNTEERS AFTER THE REGIME COLLAPSED." 
 
-- ISRAELI INTRANSIGENCE AND THE AMERICAN BIAS 
THE LEADER COMMENTARY IN CENTER-LEFT, INFLUENTIAL 
ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON MAY 6 READ: "THE PRESENT 
ISRAELI GOVERNMENT IS VERY UNHAPPY WITH THE ROAD [TO 
PEACE] AND WITH THE ROAD MAP, AND WILL PROBABLY DO ITS 
UTMOST TO DETOUR THIS ROAD INTO A DIFFERENT DIRECTION 
FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PALESTINIAN STATE.  BUT IT 
IS REGRETTABLE THAT THE U.S., WHICH INSISTED ON 
PUBLISHING THE ROAD MAP WITH THE LEAST MEDIA EXPOSURE 
POSSIBLE, HAS NOT YET UNDERTAKEN TO IMPLEMENT THE ROAD 
MAP ACCORDING TO ITS TIME SCHEDULE, WHICH HAS ALREADY 
BEEN VIOLATED BECAUSE OF THE AMERICAN INSISTENCE ON 
POSTPONEMENT, WHICH CAME IN RESPONSE TO ISRAELI 
DEMANDS.  IT IS ALSO REGRETTABLE THAT THE U.S. 
CONTINUES TO PRESSURE THE PALESTINIAN SIDE, WHICH 
ANNOUNCED CLEARLY THAT IT ACCEPTS THE ROAD MAP, 
INSTEAD OF EXERTING REAL EFFORTS TO PERSUADE THE 
GOVERNMENT OF GENERALS AND RABBIS TO ACCEPT PEACE." 
 
-- THE IMAGE OF AMERICA 
DAILY COLUMNIST BASSEM SAKEJHA WROTE IN CENTER-LEFT, 
INFLUENTIAL ARABIC DAILY AL-DUSTOUR ON MAY 6: "THE 
IMAGE OF THE U.S. MAY NEVER HAVE BEEN DARKER THAN IT 
IS TODAY.  THE AMERICAN POLITICAL PLAN, WHICH WAS THE 
MORAL COVER FOR WAR AND OCCUPATION, CONSISTED OF 
`PRESSING FOR DEMOCRACY' AND FINDING SOLUTIONS TO THE 
`CHRONIC PROBLEMS.'   THESE SEEM AT PRESENT DEVOID OF 
SUBSTANCE, STARTING WITH THE ROAD MAP, AND INCLUDING 
THE FALSE DEMOCRACY IN MORE THAN ONE PLACE OF THE ARAB 
WORLD." 
 
-- THE HUB OF TENSION, AND THE CORE OF THE CONFLICT 
DAILY COLUMNIST MOHAMMAD KA'WASH WROTE IN INDEPENDENT, 
MASS-APPEAL ARABIC DAILY AL-ARAB AL-YAWM ON MAY 6: 
"THE AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION, WHICH IS ABOUT TO SINK 
IN THE ELECTION SEASON, WILL ALSO FIND ITSELF SUNK IN 
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE WAR ON IRAQ, AND I BELIEVE 
THAT IT IS INCAPABLE OF PLAYING A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN 
FINDING A SOLUTION TO THE PALESTINIAN PROBLEM.  THIS 
MEANS THAT THE HUB OF TENSION, AND THE CAUSES OF 
CONFLICT WILL REMAIN IN THE MIDDLE EAST, ALL BECAUSE 
THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION REFUSES TO BE CONVINCED THAT 
THE CAUSE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE IS THE SUBSTANCE 
AND THE CORE OF CONFLICT IN THE REGION." GNEHM