US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI2287

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 002287 
 
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:  IRAQ ROADMAP 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  SECRETARY POWELL'S VISIT TO THE REGION, THE ONGOING 
RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ, AND THE ROADMAP DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE 
PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA.  AN "AL BAYAN" EDITORIAL COMMENTED ON 
SECRETARY POWELL'S VISIT TO THE REGION, LABELING THE OPTIMISM 
 
SIPDIS 
SURROUNDING THE VISIT AS "UNJUSTIFIED."  AN "AL ITTIHAD" 
EDITORIAL URGED PRESIDENT BUSH TO ESTABLISH A SOLID FOUNDATION 
FOR A SETTLEMENT OF THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT BEFORE THE END OF 
HIS TERM.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL KHALEEJ" AND SISTER ENGLISH- 
LANGUAGE DAILY "GULF TODAY" CONDUCTED AN INTERVIEW WITH U.S. 
AMBASSADOR TO THE UAE, MARCELLE WAHBA, AT THE U.S. EMBASSY IN ABU 
DHABI.  BOTH "AL KHALEEJ" AND "GULF TODAY" PUBLISHED THE 
TRANSCRIPT FULL-PAGE, IN ITS ENTIRETY, AND IN A Q & A FORMAT.  IN 
THE INTERVIEW, AMBASSADOR WAHBA DISCUSSED THE ROADMAP, THE 
RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ, AND U.S. RELATIONS WITH SYRIA, IRAN, AND 
THE UN.  HEADLINES INCLUDED: 
 
--"NEXT STEP IS THE ROADMAP; SYRIAN ROLE VITAL: WAHBA" (GULF 
TODAY) 
--"US FOCUS IS NOW ON THE PEACE ROADMAP" (GULF TODAY) 
--"THE ROADMAP IS OUR NEXT STEP AND WILL NOT BE CHANGED OR 
MODIFIED" (AL KHALEEJ) 
--"AMERICA LOOKS FOR A POSITIVE, UNOBSTRUCTIVE ROLE FROM 
DAMASCUS" (AL KHALEEJ) 
--"IRAQIS SHOULD RULE THEIR COUNTRY, AND THE UNITY OF IRAQ IS OUR 
TOP PRIORITY" (AL KHALEEJ) 
 
3.  COMMENTING ON ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER ARIEL SHARON'S ATTITUDE 
TOWARDS THE CONTINUATION OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH SYRIA, "AL KHALEEJ" 
EDITORIALIZED 5/10: 
 
"... SHARON IS NOT IN A HURRY TO START NEGOTIATIONS WITH SYRIA, 
SINCE THE REGIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES, THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION OF 
IRAQ, ARAB CONCESSIONS, AND THE UNLIMITED AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR 
HIS ADMINISTRATION AND ITS AGGRESSIVE POLICIES ARE ALL REASONS 
THAT ENCOURAGE HIM TO PLACE A STICK IN THE WHEELS TO STOP ANY 
ATTEMPT AT PEACE.  THAT IS WHY HE (SHARON) IS CONSIDERING 
NEGOTIATIONS WITH SYRIA WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS ..." 
 
4.  COMMENTING ON THE OPTIMISM SURROUNDING SECRETARY OF STATE 
COLIN POWELL'S VISIT TO THE REGION, DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED 
ARABIC DAILY "AL-BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED 5/10: 
 
"... OPTIMISTS SHOULD BE REALISTIC IN DEALING WITH THIS VISIT AND 
SHOULD NOT GIVE IT MORE CREDIT THAN IT DESERVES.  ISRAEL HAS NOT 
MADE A STRATEGIC DECISION FOR PEACE AS AN OPTION IN DEALING WITH 
THE ARAB WORLD." 
 
5.  URGING PRESIDENT BUSH TO TAKE DECISIVE ACTION ON THE MIDDLE 
EAST PEACE PROCESS, ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" 
EDITORIALIZED 5/10: 
 
"... WE KNOW THAT PRESIDENT BUSH, WHOSE TERM ENDS NEXT YEAR, WAS 
ABLE TO SUCCEED IN BOTH AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ, BUT THE LITTLE TIME 
HE HAS LEFT FOR HIS CURRENT TERM MIGHT NOT GIVE HIM TIME TO MAKE 
A DIFFERENCE IN A COMPLICATED CONFLICT SUCH AS THAT IN THE MIDDLE 
EAST; HE COULD HOWEVER AT LEAST ESTABLISH A FOUNDATION FOR AN 
ONGOING SETTLEMENT TO PROVIDE ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE REGION WITH 
SECURITY, PEACE, AND ECONOMIC GROWTH.  HOWEVER, THIS MUST NOT BE 
AT THE EXPENSE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND THEIR RIGHT TO AN 
INDEPENDENT COUNTRY." 
 
6.  REFERRING TO THE RECENT ATTACKS IN RIYADH AND ASSERTING THAT 
TERRORISM IS SPREADING LIKE THE FLU IN THE MIDDLE EAST, "AL 
ITTIHAD" EDITORIALIZED 5/09: 
 
"... EXTERMINATING THOSE (TERRORISTS) AND ERADICATING THEM ... IS 
AN INTERNATIONAL AND HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL COUNTRIES AND 
PEOPLE, SINCE THEY THREATEN EVERYONE AND DO NOT DIFFERENTIATE BY 
SEX, RELIGION, COLOR OR LANGUAGE, AND THEY THREATEN SOULS, 
PROPERTIES, AND CIVILIZATION IN ALL ITS ASPECTS.  THE 
INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERRORISM SHOULD BECOME STRONGER 
THAN IN THE PAST, AND ALL ORGANIZATIONS, GOVERNMENTS, AND EVEN 
ORDINARY PEOPLE SHOULD COOPERATE TO STOP THIS DANGER AND REVEAL 
ITS SOURCES IN ORDER TO EXTERMINATE IT FROM THE WHOLE WORLD." 
 
7.  UNDER THE HEADLINE "A MAP WITH NO ROAD," "AL KHALEEJ" 
EDITORIALIZED 5/08: 
 
"... SHARON DOES NOT WANT A LEGAL ENTITY OR EVEN A REAL COUNTRY 
FOR THE PALESTINIANS.  AT THE BEST, HE WANTS RACIST CAMPS LIKE 
THE 'BANTUSTANS' THAT WERE IN SOUTH AFRICA WHEN IT WAS RULED BY 
APARTHEID OR TO BE OCCUPIED FOREVER WITHOUT RIGHTS.  THE LIKUD 
CONFIRMED THEIR REJECTION ESTABLISHING A 'REPUBLIC OF PALESTINE,' 
WHICH MEANS THAT THE 'REPUBLIC' OF THE ROADMAP WILL NEVER SEE THE 
LIGHT OF DAY EXCEPT AS DEMANDED BY THE ZIONISTS ..." 
 
8.  CRITICIZING SADDAM HUSSEIN'S REGIME, "AL ITTIHAD" 
EDITORIALIZED 5/08: 
 
"... THE COLLAPSED REGIME DID NOT LEAVE ANY GOOD DEEDS THAT COULD 
LEAD TO ANY SYMPATHY FOR IT, IT LEFT ONLY MISERABLE MEMORIES ... 
IT LEFT THE GRAVES OF AS MANY VICTIMS AS THERE ARE PALM TREES IN 
IRAQ, TORTURE DENS AS LONG AS THE TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES, AND 
INNUMERABLE EXECUTION FIELDS ..." 
 
ALBRIGHT