This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 004477 
 
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 IRAQ 
 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- The lead story in all papers today, July 21, 
highlights King Abdullah's instruction to the current 
Prime Minister to dissolve and reform a cabinet to 
coincide with the formation of the newly-elected 
Jordanian parliament.  The new government is expected 
to be announced today.  Other lead stories highlight 
"continued military and political deterioration" in 
Iraq, with the killing of more U.S. soldiers.  Front- 
page reports emphasized a "lack of movement" in the 
recent meetings between Israeli PM Sharon and 
Palestinian PM Abbas, particularly on the issue of the 
release of Palestinian prisoners. 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "America's Political Parties in Iraq are Becoming 
Isolated" 
 
Chief Editor Taher Udwan writes on the back page of 
independent, mass-appeal Arabic daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm 
(07/20):  "Once again, we feel optimistic, not just 
because of the escalating resistance against the 
occupation, but also because of the return to life of 
Iraqi society, even though this is being done through 
sectarianism never known in Iraq before.  It does not 
matter as long as this sectarianism is increasingly 
supporting anti-occupation slogans and is in defense 
of the freedom and independence of Iraq.  The 
demonstrations that took place in Baghdad, Koufa, 
Basra and other Iraqi cities stressed that `America's 
parties' that have arrived aboard American tanks are 
now besieged and isolated, as the Iraqi people prove, 
day in and day out, that they will not be an American 
`colony'." 
 
-- "Why the resistance?" 
 
Daily columnist Fahd Fanek writes on the back page of 
semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai 
(07/21):  "Every action has an equal reaction that is 
reversed in direction, and the reaction to a foreign 
occupation is national resistance.  This is a sacred 
law of nature, which cannot be weakened by some of 
those who are cooperating with the occupiers on the 
pretext that the occupation is a reality and must thus 
be acknowledged and cooperated with.  What applies to 
the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza 
applies to the American occupation of Iraq. 
Resistance is not only the right of the people who 
reside under the occupation, but is their duty..  We 
will likely soon see, under the impact of the 
resistance, an attempt to internationalize or Arabize 
the occupation by brining in mercenary armies that 
would implement the will and desire of the occupation 
and save the blood of the American soldiers." 
 
-- "The scapegoat" 
 
Daily columnist Bater Wardam writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(07/21):  "Whether it was an assassination or a 
suicide, the death of David Kelly, the British WMD 
expert, is the beginning for exposing the biggest lie 
in the history of international politics.  The cost of 
this lie must be paid by those who perpetrated it by 
completely ending their political lives, and here we 
are referring to Tony Blair and George Bush.  The 
leaders of the two biggest democratic countries in the 
world have been lying to their people, to the world 
and to the media throughout the months that preceded 
the war on Iraq.  We in the Arab world have always 
known it was a lie..  This political scandal must be 
paid for by George Bush and Tony Blair alone.  David 
Kelly and George Tenet must not become the scapegoats 
for the biggest political lie in the history of the 
United States and Britain.  Most importantly, the 
American and British people must never believe any 
similar lies that would be told against Iran or 
Syria." 
-- "With the Iraqi people's choice" 
 
Daily columnist Musa Hawamdeh writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(07/21):  "I have been surprised that some people 
continue to refer to an article I wrote after the fall 
of Baghdad in which I criticized the former Iraqi 
regime, although I did not overlook the American and 
Zionist motives in Iraq, and expressed my categorical 
rejection of the war.  Some people misinterpreted my 
criticism as welcoming the Americans and the British 
to occupy Iraq.  This is utterly false..  Some people 
want to prevent us from expressing our opinion freely 
and honestly, as if our criticism of the Iraqi 
President's policy justifies or supports the 
occupation.  I do not know who would promote the 
current thinking that you are either with Saddam, a 
victim or a victimizer, or with the Americans, as if 
you cannot reject the American occupation and reject 
the policy of the former regime together..  I still 
believe that the Saddam Hussein regime committed major 
and fatal errors.  True, his only good-doing is marked 
by his stand against the United States and Israel 
after 1991, his call for liberating Palestine from the 
sea to the river, although he did go into Kuwait in 
1990 and into Iran in 1980 instead of Palestine, and 
the fact that he has an Arab nationalistic thinking. 
However, that does not prevent seeing the negative 
aspects and the disastrous policies of this regime, 
its contempt for freedom of expression, and its use of 
the security and intelligence apparatus to crack down 
against intellectuals and journalists.  All these 
errors, however, do not give America the right to 
occupy Iraq, change its regime, cancel its army and 
its party, and form the sectarian governing council. 
We support the Iraqi resistance whatever its direction 
is, and if Saddam has something to do with it, we 
still support the resistance.  We believe that Saddam 
will not return as a president for Iraq and the 
Iraqis, and that they alone are the masters of their 
political future.  We, however, support the expulsion 
of the Americans and the British from Iraq by all 
means possible and we believe no cooperation, whether 
on the Iraqi or Arab level, should take place with 
this unjust occupation." 
 
-- "Who killed David Kelly?" 
 
Columnist Usama Sharif writes on the op-ed page of 
center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(07/21):  "Clearly, the Iraqi issue, in both its 
military and political aspects, is going to upset the 
leaders of the Anglo-American coalition for a long 
time, and may even threaten the hopes of the two 
leaders of remaining in power.  While resistance 
actions against the occupation are escalating and more 
and more American soldiers are falling in the streets 
of Iraqi cities and villages, the threads of the 
political scandal are unraveling and public opinion 
increasingly believes that its government meant to 
mislead it to impose the option of going to war.  The 
question that follows Kelly's death is why did Blair 
and Bush resort to these tricks to launch the war and 
what is the real reason for occupying Iraq?  More 
importantly, will this scandal oust the two most 
powerful leaders in the world?" 
 
HALE