US embassy cable - 03SANAA1718

UNCLAS SANAA 001718 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/PD, NEA/RA, DS/OP/NEA 
AND S/CT 
CENTCOM FOR POLAD 
 
NEA/PPD FOR DMACINNES, JDAVIES, JGAFFNEY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, PTER, KISL, YM 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON AMBASSADOR HULL'S ARTICLE ON 
IRAQ 
 
 
1. SUMMARY: On July 2, an opinion article on Iraq by 
Ambassador Edmund Hull, entitled "Toward a Free Iraq: 
Security, Economic, Political Efforts on Track" was 
widely distributed to the Yemeni press.  Out of about 29 
newspapers, six independent papers published the article 
plus the al-Sahwa.net website.  At least four papers 
reacted to the article, saying it did not change the 
minds of Yemenis about what is happening in Iraq. End 
Summary 
 
2. Commenting on the article, "Annas" independent weekly 
(of Islamic orientation), published an article July 7 
entitled "Forget it Mr. Hull."  The paper commented that 
"Mr. Hull wrote the article as if he were an Arab 
ambassador for quoting President Bush as Arab ambassadors 
usually do when they quote their leaders."  Annas 
indicated that the Yemeni people will not believe what 
the Ambassador is saying that all efforts made by the 
Americans in Iraq will serve to improve the lives of the 
Iraqi people "even if he (the Ambassador) writes a 
thousand articles a day."  The paper stressed that 
Yemenis are not concerned about the future of the people 
of Iraq "as much as they are concerned about the US 
Ambassador's movements and activities in Yemen which only 
God knows where they will lead." 
 
3. Al-Sahwa weekly, mouthpiece of the Yemeni Congregation 
for Reform (Islah party), indicated that the U.S. image 
in the eighties of last century was that of a country 
helping and supporting poor nations.  "America's image 
now" the paper added "is that of a haughty President; of 
a frowning politician; of a soldier armed with fear and 
might and ready to strike and kill; and of disreputable 
informers - all of which do not convey the message of 
justice and truth."   The paper indicated that the 
"atrocious pictures Yemenis see on TV everyday of what 
the Americans are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan are more 
truthful than what the U.S. Ambassador is trying to tell 
us." 
 
4. The anti-American (putatively independent) weekly "al- 
Shumu'" commented that it was not very diplomatic for 
Ambassador Hull to portray the "reckless" American 
practices in Iraq as something "grand".  The paper added 
that the article's message was not "very persuasive" 
since it clashes with Yemenis' convictions about what is 
happening on the ground in Iraq.  Al-Shumu' concluded 
that the U.S. Administration has lost credibility in the 
world for following a "Hollywood-like thinking." 
 
5. "Al-Ihya'a al-Arabi" (mouthpiece of the Socialist 
Nationalist Ba'athist party, extremely anti-American) 
described the circulation of the US Ambassador's article 
in the Yemeni press as "a silly move".  It reported that 
if "the Ambassador knew how much the Yemeni people hate 
the pro-Zionist US administrations, he wouldn't send the 
article."  The paper criticized the newspapers that 
published the article and commended the ones that did 
not. 
 
6. COMMENT: This is the first time that we have been able 
to place an article on Iraq in so many Yemeni newspapers, 
despite our continued and insistent attempts.  The 
reaction it has produced is not very surprising because 
the mood here on Iraq is still anti-coalition.  Following 
on the heels of this placement, we have devised a plan to 
continue to seek a more balanced reporting by the Yemeni 
press (see septel). 
HULL