US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI2576

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 002576 
 
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:  ROADMAP IRAQ 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  THE ISRAELI CABINET'S ACCEPTANCE OF THE ROADMAP, 
THE RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ, AND THE LIFTING OF UN SANCTIONS ON 
IRAQ DOMINATED COVERAGE IN UAE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA.  AN 
"AL ITTIHAD" EDITORIAL CLAIMED THAT BOTH 'AL QAEDA' AND ISRAEL 
ARE SIMILAR IN THEIR AIMS AND GOALS.  AN "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIAL 
ALLEGED THAT THE U.S. IS NOT SERIOUS ABOUT IMPLEMENTING THE 
ROADMAP.  ANOTHER "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIAL ASSERTED THAT ANTI- 
AMERICAN ATTITUDES ARE ON THE RISE IN IRAQ.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  A/S LINCOLN BLOOMFIELD'S VISIT TO THE UAE RECEIVED PROMINENT 
COVERAGE IN LOCAL PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA.  SPECIAL COVERAGE 
WAS GIVEN TO HIS MEETING WITH SHEIKH MOHAMED BIN RASHED AL 
MAKTOUM, DUBAI'S CROWN PRINCE AND UAE MINISTER OF DEFENSE.  THE 
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE IN ABU DHABI FACILITATED A EXCLUSIVE 
TELEVISION INTERVIEW WITH 'AL ARABIYYA' SATELLITE TV CHANNEL THAT 
WAS AIRED IN ITS ENTIRETY ON 5/26 AT 21:30 (17:30 GMT).  DURING 
THE INTERVIEW, A/S BLOOMFIELD COMMENTED ON MANY ISSUES, INCLUDING 
THE WAR ON TERRORISM, REGIONAL COOPERATION AND STABILITY, U.S. 
EFFORTS TO RESTORE STABILITY IN IRAQ, AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF 
THE ROADMAP.  PAO ALSO FACILITATED AN EXCLUSIVE PRINT INTERVIEW 
WITH DUBAI-BASED BUSINESS-ORIENTED ARABIC DAILY "AL-BAYAN" THAT 
LARGELY FOCUSED ON IRAQ.  THIS INTERVIEW WILL BE PRINTED LATER IN 
THE WEEK. 
 
3.  ON 5/26, EXPATRIATE-ORIENTED ENGLISH DAILY "GULF NEWS" 
REPRINTED A LOS ANGELES TIMES-WASHINGTON POST NEWS SERVICE 
ARTICLE BY SULAIMAN AL HATTLAN ENTITLED, "FOCUS ON TODAY'S 
REALITIES."  COMMENT:  THE REPRINT IS UNIQUE IN THAT THE ARTICLE 
CONTAINS POINTS VERY CRITICAL OF ARAB AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS SUCH 
AS: 
 
--"IT IS TIME FOR ARAB INTELLECTUALS TO SAY PUBLICLY WHAT THEY 
HAVE LONG BEEN ACKNOWLEDGING PRIVATELY:  MOST ARAB LEADERS HAVE 
FAILED THEIR PEOPLE." 
--"THE FUTURE, IN THE ARAB WORLD, HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOD'S BUSINESS. 
BUT THIS HASN'T TAKEN US ANYWHERE.  LOOK AT OUR SOCIAL FAILURES: 
SEVERE GENDER SEGREGATION AND THE LACK OF RESPECT FOR WOMEN HAVE 
CREATED PARALYSED SOCIETIES.  THE PRACTICE OF ART AND MUSIC HAS 
BECOME A SIN IN MANY ARAB COUNTRIES.  THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM HAS 
BECOME A SOURCE OF IGNORANCE RATHER THAN KNOWLEDGE.  AS A RESULT, 
YOUNG ARABS TODAY LIVE UNDER A SIEGE OF POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND 
RELIGIOUS TABOOS." 
--"WE MUST LET GO OF THIS DISTORTED VERSION OF HISTORY, WHICH 
GLORIFIES ONLY WHAT OUR ANCESTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THE ANCIENT 
WORLD'S CIVILIZATIONS AND BLAMES OUR CURRENT PROBLEMS ON THE 
INFLUENCE OF OUTSIDERS.  INSTEAD, WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON TODAY'S 
REALITY OF ECONOMIC CHALLENGES, POVERTY, LACK OF FREEDOM, AND, 
INDEED, LACK OF HOPE." 
--"UNLESS WE BEGIN AN AUTHENTIC REVISIONIST DIALOGUE ABOUT WHAT 
REALLY WENT WRONG IN OUR POLITICAL AND SOCIAL EXPERIENCE DURING 
THE PAST CENTURY OR SO, THE OTHER SADDAMS IN OUR SOCIETIES - 
CORRUPT POLITICAL AND EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS - WILL CONTINUE TO 
PRODUCE DISASTROUS RESULTS."  END COMMENT. 
 
4  CLAIMING THAT SIMILARITIES EXIST BETWEEN 'AL QAEDA' AND 
ISRAEL, ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-GOVERNMENT "AL ITTIHAD" 
EDITORIALIZED 5/26: 
 
"... THE RESULT THAT BOTH 'AL QAEDA' AND ISRAEL ARE SEEKING FROM 
THESE CONTINUOUS ATTACKS AGAINST HUMANITY IS TO DISMANTLE THE 
NETWORK OF HEAVENLY COMMUNITY VALUES AND TO KEEP THE MIDDLE EAST 
ECONOMICALLY, RELIGIOUSLY, AND POLITICALLY BOILING IN ORDER TO 
FREEZE PEACE ..." 
 
5  ASSERTING THAT ANTI-AMERICAN ATTITUDES ARE ON THE RISE IN 
IRAQ, SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 
5/26: 
 
"... THE VOICES OF OPPOSITION ARE NOTING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN 
DECEIVED AND THAT ALL THEY AGREED UPON WITH THE AMERICANS DIFFERS 
FROM REALITY, THEY HAVE DISCOVERED THAT WINTER AND SUMMER DO NOT 
MEET ... THIS IS WHAT THE IRAQI PEOPLE FEEL, AND THE POLITICAL 
POWERS ARE STARING TO FEEL, AND WHEN BOTH THE IRAQI PEOPLE AND 
SINCERE POWERS UNITE UNDER ONE NATIONAL PRINCIPLE, THEN LIBERTY 
WILL RETURN, AND OCCUPATION WILL BE GONE." 
 
6  ALLEGING THAT THE U.S. IS NOT SERIOUS ABOUT IMPLEMENTING THE 
ROADMAP, "AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 5/25: 
 
"... IF AMERICAN GUARANTEES FOR ISRAEL INCLUDE GUARANTEEING ITS 
SECURITY, SAFETY, AND SUPERIORITY, THEN THE GUARANTEES GIVEN TO 
THE PALESTINIANS ARE NOT UNDERSTANDABLE.  IF ISRAEL IS GOING TO 
GET EVERYTHING IT WANTS, SOME OF WHICH INCLUDES CORE RIGHTS OF 
THE PALESTINIANS, THEN WHAT WILL BE LEFT FOR THE PALESTINIANS? 
... THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE, AS WELL AS THE ARABS, ARE FACING A 
CRITICAL AND DANGEROUS PHASE DUE TO THE CRUSHING AMERICAN POWER 
ALLIED WITH EXPANDING, RACIST, ZIONIST ATTACKS.  BUT RESISTANCE, 
HOLDING ONTO THEIR RIGHTS, AND POSSESSING THE WILL TO FIGHT WILL 
PREVENT (THE PALESTINIANS FROM) FALLING INTO THE TRAP SET TO 
CAPTURE THE PALESTINIANS AND THEIR RIGHTS." 
 
7  COMMENTING ON THE UN RESOLUTION TO LIFT SANCTIONS ON IRAQ, 
"AL KHALEEJ" EDITORIALIZED 5/23: 
 
"... BUSH LAUGHS SECRETLY AT EVERYONE SINCE HE IS THE ONE WHO 
DEVOURED IRAQ AND WILL DEVOUR ITS RESOURCES, ONLY RETURNING THEM 
TO THE IRAQIS BIT-BY-BIT.  HE WILL DETERMINE HOW THEY SHOULD 
LIVE, WHAT THEY SHOULD EAT, HOW THEY SHOULD BE EDUCATED, WHAT 
ARMY SHOULD THEY BUILD, AND WHICH RELIGION SHOULD THEY FOLLOW ... 
THE QUESTION THAT ARISES IS, IF LIFTING SANCTIONS ON IRAQ TOOK 13 
YEARS AND ENDED IN ITS OCCUPATION, THEN HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO 
END THE OCCUPATION? ..." 
 
WAHBA