US embassy cable - 03AMMAN2844

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002844 
 
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 RIYADH BOMBINGS, PEACE 
PROCESS 
 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- Lead story in all papers today, May 15, focuses on 
the aftermath of the suicide attacks in Riyadh. 
Another lead story today focuses on Israeli attacks 
killing 5 Palestinians and demolishing over 25 
Palestinian homes.  On Iraq-related issues, only Al- 
Rai Arabic and the Jordan Times English dailies 
carried lead stories about the discovery of mass 
graves with thousands of bodies in Iraq. 
 
-- Coverage of Secretary Powell's visit to Jordan in 
yesterday's papers, May 14, was overshadowed by 
reports of the bombings in Riyadh.  The signing of the 
$700 million cash transfer between the Secretary and 
Foreign Minister Muasher in Amman received good 
coverage. 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "The terrorism debate" 
 
Center-left, influential among the elite English daily 
Jordan Times (05/15) editorializes:  "Terrorism is 
obviously nurtured by frustration and desperation.  It 
takes political, economic and cultural work to 
eradicate it.  The `cultural cure' is up to all of us, 
and it mainly hinges on countering the notion that 
violence can be used for the achievement of political 
goals.  It is also necessary to foster a healthy 
dialogue on Islam and its values, with a view to 
emphasize and bring to everyone's attention - Muslims 
and others - that Islam is first and foremost about 
the sanctity of life.  Politically, as it has been 
repeated almost ad nauseam, and as it should be 
increasingly obvious, the core problem of the Middle 
East - the Palestinian question - needs to be 
adequately addressed.  The United States went after 
the Taleban and Osama Ben Laden in Afghanistan.  But 
terrorism has not stopped.  The United States went 
after Saddam Hussein in Iraq.  But terrorism has not 
stopped.  Before another war is started, perhaps it 
would be worth to see to a fair and final solution of 
the Arab-Israeli conflict." 
 
-- "Operations that serve the continued foreign 
presence?" 
 
Daily columnist Sultan Hattab writes on the op-ed page 
of semi-official, Arabic daily Al-Rai (05/15):  "These 
operations [Riyadh bombings] might be, just as others 
were in the past, a tool for the foreigner to seal his 
control, impose his conditions, and effect the change 
that he wants.  What was attacked in reality involved 
Arab security, Arab interests and the Arab image, 
before targeting a group of Americans.  The 
requirements of achieving a peaceful political 
settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict have 
Israel cornered, and its rejection of the roadmap has 
been exposed.  The Riyadh terrorist operations 
happened to rescue Israeli and get it out of the 
dilemma by turning the spotlights away from it and 
relieving it from the demands of international 
pressures.  Now, there is new rising terrorism that 
must be dealt with and fought off, because it is a 
terrorism that hurts Americans..  Those who 
perpetrated the bombings in Riyadh have saved the 
enemies of the Arab cause, justified the foreign 
intervention and the U.S. war against the region." 
 
-- "Saudi Arabia in the storm" 
 
Daily columnist Jamil Nimri writes on the back page of 
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(05/15):  "Describing the bombings in Saudi Arabia as 
a terrorist action is not enough, because they are 
utter lunacy..  Political terrorism as a means to an 
end is known throughout the history of political 
movements.  Yet, mass suicides in a residential 
complex go beyond the phenomenon of political 
terrorism.  It is a mental disorder." 
 
-- "Killing off the roadmap" 
 
Center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(05/15) editorializes:  "By stating clearly and 
frankly that no one exercised any pressure on his 
government to accept the roadmap, Israeli Prime 
Minister Sharon divulges a very important part of the 
Collin Powel's talks in Israel and puts an end to the 
illusion that some members of the U.S. administration 
promoted regarding Washington's seriousness and 
readiness to exercise pressure on the Palestinian and 
Israeli parties to accept and to implement the 
roadmap.  Clearly, American pressures have one side 
and one direction and they have targeted the 
Palestinian party and held it responsible for the 
criminal actions of the victimizer, while the forces 
of aggression and occupation continued to receive 
understanding and sympathy..  The situation of the 
Palestinian-Israeli conflict is nearing a state of 
endless vicious circle.  Israel continues its war of 
siege and extermination for the third year running.. 
More seriously, the United States, the superpower and 
the only country capable of twisting the Hebrew 
State's arm, refuses to do that, rather intentionally 
directs its pressures towards the Palestinians and the 
Arab.  The situation being what it is, Arab and 
international efforts must be directed towards 
Washington, which has pledged support for the peace 
process, but in reality is working to impede this 
process with its blind bias in favor of the Hebrew 
State." 
 
-- "Riyadh bombings and the formula of terrorism and 
bias" 
 
Daily columnist Bater Wardam writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(05/15):  "There are two major facts that must be said 
before writing about the bombings in Riyadh.  The 
first fact is that any act of violence that targets 
civilians of any nationality is a terrorist act that 
is rejected and condemned.  The second fact is that 
the sole reason for these terrorist operations and 
actions in general is the U.S. policy in the Arab 
world.  Thus we write that we condemn terrorist 
actions, that we condemn the killing of innocent 
civilians, and that we denounce American policies, and 
we are not ashamed to say that.  It is hard to shed 
tears at the American victims . because we have seen 
thousands of civilians die in Iraq by American weapons 
and have not seen the Americans overly sensitive or 
emotional.  Washington must understand that its 
aggressive policies, its occupation of Iraq, its 
complete bias in favor of Israel's crimes, its desire 
to control the Arab world will not be welcomed with 
the applause and ululations of the millions of people. 
In fact there are those who are so angry and furious 
with the American policies that they are willing to 
confront it with violence." GNEHM