US embassy cable - 03SANAA1313

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 001313 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/PD, NEA/RA, DS/OP/NEA 
AND S/CT 
CENTCOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, PTER, KISL, YM 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON THE ROAD MAP 
 
NEA/PPD FOR DMACINNES, WMOONEY, JGAFFNEY 
 
 
SUMMARY: 1. Most Yemeni official and opposition 
newspapers reported and commented on the road map and the 
Sharm al-Sheikh and Aqaba meetings. The two official 
papers considered the road map to be an achievement for 
peace if it ensures the legitimate rights of 
Palestinians. However, most other papers described the 
road map as a justification to eradicate the Palestinian 
resistance by Palestinians themselves.  Overall, Yemeni 
media have adopted a skeptical attitude toward recent 
Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and given the issue far 
less play than Iraq received in the run up to OIF. END 
SUMMARY 
 
 
2. "September 26" the official weekly of the Yemeni Armed 
Forces, noted on June 5 that Yemen welcomed the road map 
in which the Palestinian side declared its acceptance. 
The paper said that Yemen reiterated its support for the 
establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as 
its capital. "Foreign Minister Dr. al-Qirbi called on the 
U.S. and the Quartet to commit themselves to the 
implementation of the road map without postponement or 
amendment. The paper noted that Al-Qirbi underlined 
Yemen's appreciation of the importance that President 
Bush personally committed himself to achieve a 
comprehensive and just peace and to work for the 
establishment of an independent Palestinian state. 
 
3. The official daily "Al-Thawra in its June 4 editorial 
considered that it was not sufficient for America to 
sponsor peace or just dedicate itself to creating 
confidence between disputing parties. The paper went on 
to say:  "Washington should exert pressure on Israel to 
give up its haughty settlement policy and respond to the 
essential questions that could lead to security, peace, 
and stability" 
 
4. The anti-American (putatively independent) weekly "al- 
Shumu'" reported that Speaker of Parliament Sheikh al- 
Ahmar criticized the "road map" saying that it is not for 
the interest of the Palestinian people or Arab and Muslim 
nations. "Al-Ahmar considered that the U.S. call for Arab 
leaders and Muslim nations to cooperate with the U.S. 
Administration in counter-terrorism is a shameful lie and 
an excuse for occupying Arab nations." 
 
5. "Al-Shura" the weekly newspaper of the minor 
opposition Union of Popular Forces party, in an opinion 
piece on June 8 wrote: "The U.S. Administration in the 
Sharm al-Sheikh summit was able to receive Arab 
guarantees to put mechanisms in place and perhaps to 
administer a secret preventive war against what 
Washington describes as terrorism. Washington means by 
terrorism Hamas, Jihad, and the Palestinian al-Aqsa 
brigades as well as Hizbullah in South Lebanon." 
 
6."17 July" the pro-GPC (ruling party) weekly, 
editorialized on June 8: "The Central Authority of al- 
Quds Institution warned against making any compromises 
regarding the new U.S. initiative, the road map. It is 
one more step in a new series of U.S.-Zionist conspiracy 
against the Palestinian people to eliminate the 
Palestinian resistance and achieve Israeli security on 
the account of a bloody conflict between the resistance 
and the Palestinian authority." 
 
7. "Wahj al-Haqiqa" another pro-GPC weekly, wrote in an 
analytical piece on June 7 that Bush's plan at the end 
does not seek to offer anything good to Palestinians, but 
to save Israelis from the hands of suicide bombers and 
abort that important weapon that caused heavy losses to 
Israel. "There are dozens of former plans that were not 
implemented such as Clinton, Mitchell, and Tenet plans as 
well as numerous UN resolutions. The Oslo convention 
itself was not implemented and was frozen or was left 
behind." 
 
8. "Al-Ummah, the weekly newspaper of the minor Union 
Islamist opposition al-Haq party, in an op-ed article 
June 5  wrote: "Counter-terrorism is an image for the 
U.S. in occupied Palestine and in the Arab region. This 
logic was confirmed for Arabs in Sharm al-Sheikh and for 
Palestinians in Aqaba and indicated that peace is another 
plot against Palestinians so they can kill each other." 
 
9."Al-Sahwa", the weekly newspaper of the Islamist 
opposition Islah party, in an opinion article June 5 
wrote: "The U.S. choice of time in Madrid in the nineteen- 
nineties and Sharm al-Sheikh and Aqaba now proves that 
the U.S. Administration does not want to listen to 
conditions or talk about historical rights. Rather, it 
just wants to listen to commitments and pledges that it 
considers appropriate for the region. This explains why 
Syria and Lebanon were excluded from attending the Sharm 
al-Sheikh summit and Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were 
invited instead." 
MISENHEIMER