VZCZCXRO2851
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK
DE RUEHMS #1277/01 2401314
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 281314Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7060
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0430
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0323
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 001277 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, NEA/PI, AND INR/R/MR 
STATE PASS USTR FOR N. MOORJANI, J. BUNTIN 
LONDON FOR TSOU 
PARIS FOR ZEYA 
USCENTCOM FOR PLUSH 
FOREIGN PRESS CENTER FOR SILAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP KPAO KMDR MU
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: UNSCR 1701, AMNESTY LEBANON REPORT, IRAN, 
HERSH LEBANON ARTICLE 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  Government-owned, Arabic-language daily "Oman" worries 
about renewed conflict in southern Lebanon, lauds Iran's "positive" 
response on its nuclear capabilities, and reprints excerpts of 
Seymour Hersh's "New Yorker" article alleging Israeli-U.S. collusion 
over the conflict in Lebanon.  Privately owned Arabic-language 
"Al-Watan" calls for UN investigation based on Amnesty 
International's Lebanon report.  English-language "Times of Oman" 
front-pages Reuters coverage alleging racial profiling at JFK 
airport.  END SUMMARY. 
 
-------- 
COVERAGE 
-------- 
 
¶2.  Coverage in this week's dailies included what were by Oman's 
generally subdued standards two unusually tart stories on the U.S., 
both drawn from international sources.  On Friday, August 25, 
English-language daily "Times of Oman" front-paged a Reuters story 
headlined "New York Airport Accused of Racial Profiling," 
accompanying the story with a large color photo of an Arab-American 
family whose travel was delayed.  Also on August 25, state-owned 
Arabic-language paper "Oman" ran excerpts of the controversial 
August 21 "New Yorker" article by Seymour Hersh on the alleged U.S. 
role in the conflict in Lebanon under the headline "U.S. 
Administration Wanted to Kill Two Birds with One Stone."  However, 
neither story appears to have had any further impact either in the 
Omani press or in other public fora. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
BLOCK QUOTES:  ISRAEL'S "PROVOCATIVE OPERATIONS" 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶3. On August 23, government-owned Arabic daily "Oman" (circulation 
38,000) commented on claims of Israeli violations of UNSCR 1701, 
saying, "The Delay of the International Forces Prohibits Solutions 
in Lebanon:" 
 
"The Israelis are still violating the terms of the resolution as 
they continue their provocative operations against the Lebanese 
resistance in the south.  The international community needs to 
consider these actions and respond to them, because such violations 
prohibit the spread of the Lebanese [government] forces in the 
south.  [Israel's actions] will lead to renewed conflict, and a 
delay in the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution." 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT AND ISRAELI "WAR CRIMES" 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶4. In "Reporting Condemnation Is Not Enough," "Al-Watan" (privately 
owned Arabic daily, circulation 42,000) commented August 24 on 
Amnesty International's report calculating Lebanese civilian 
casualties: 
 
"The report issued by Amnesty International accused Israel of war 
crimes in Lebanon because the army purposely targeted civilian 
infrastructure, destroying thousands of buildings, bridges, water 
facilities, and gas stations.  The report considered the destruction 
in Lebanon to be an integral part of the Israeli operations in 
Lebanon, not a side effect or collateral damages from targeting 
military locations.  This is the basis of their demand to start an 
independent, comprehensive investigation in the United Nations of 
Israel's violation of international humanitarian law in Lebanon.  We 
hope that the human aspect was detailed in the report because this 
war killed 1,300 Lebanese, mostly women and children." 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
IRANIAN RESPONSE "POSITIVE...FLEXIBLE...BALANCED" 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶5. Also on August 24, "Oman" carried an editorial, "Positive Signs 
in Iran's Response about Its Nuclear File": 
 
"Eight days before the end of the deadline given to Iran, it sent 
positive signs about its stand on the nuclear issue in response to 
the superpowers.  Otherwise these countries, including the United 
States, would have had to take another way in dealing with Tehran. 
Although the Iranian response has not been clear, it is considered 
positive and accepted because it shows how keen the Iranian 
government is to settle its nuclear issue and the controversy 
surrounding it.  The Iranian response ...shows how flexible and 
balanced [Tehran] is under the pressures it is facing and the threat 
 
MUSCAT 00001277  002 OF 002 
 
 
of economic sanctions." 
 
GRAPPO