VZCZCXRO0182
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK
DE RUEHMS #1482/01 2891144
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 161144Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7282
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0445
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0337
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MUSCAT 001482 
 
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:  SECRETARY'S MIDEAST TOUR, DPRK NUCLEAR 
PROGRAM, U.S. POLICY TOWARDS PALESTINIANS 
 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  "Oman" expresses skepticism about Secretary's latest 
Middle East tour, supports dialogue with Pyongyang, and claims that 
the Greater Middle East Initiative aims to weaken Arab culture. 
"Al-Watan" says the West's "double standards" are responsible for 
North Korea's nuclear program, and that the U.S. has increased the 
"humiliation" of Palestinians.  Dailies front-page Johns Hopkins 
report on Iraqi civilian deaths, speculate on U.S. attack on Iran, 
and publish Oman's ratification of U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
-------- 
COVERAGE 
-------- 
 
¶2.  On October 12, English language dailies front-paged articles 
culled from agencies about the recent Johns Hopkins report claiming 
that 655,000 Iraqis have died since the U.S. invasion. In other 
coverage, Arabic language, government-owned daily "Oman" 
(circulation 38,000) regularly includes a dossier from Egyptian 
journalists filing from Cairo.  The October 15 edition speculated on 
the possibilities of a U.S. military strike on Iran, and stated: 
"According to classified intelligence reports on a possible U.S. 
attack against Iran, the U.S. is sending security envoys to Israel 
and the region as part of the preparations for a strike against 
Iran.  This attack will eventually have devastating effects 
worldwide."  On October 16, Arabic and English language dailies 
front-paged the Sultanate's ratification of the U.S.-Oman Free Trade 
Agreement, which the Sultan issued through royal decree number 
109/2006. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
BLOCK QUOTES: CHANGING FRIENDS INTO ENEMIES 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. On October 14, a columnist in government-owned "Oman" 
(circulation 38,000) wrote about "Selectivity of American Policy and 
the New Political Developments:" 
 
"The tour of the U.S. Secretary of State is similar to her previous 
tours that preceded and followed the Israeli aggression against 
Lebanon.  We may also expect new tours, as this is the only tool 
that the Americans use whenever...issues become critical to the U.S. 
Administration...[the administration's] messages are only directed 
to the American people, who have no confidence in their 
administration and its foreign policy, one that has changed friends 
into enemies." 
 
------------------------------- 
DOUBLE STANDARDS ON NORTH KOREA 
------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  On October 10, privately owned "Al-Watan" (circulation 42,000) 
asked, "The Series of Intimidations: When Will they End?": 
 
"The Western countries should taste the bitterness of their failure 
and defeat after the announcement of the North Korean nuclear test. 
Although the Middle Eastern countries have nothing to do with this 
issue, and though they crave a world which is free of weapons of 
mass destruction (WMDs), [they] have the right to... get angry for 
the 'schizophrenic' behavior of the Western countries that tried for 
a long time to prevent North Korea from going ahead with its nuclear 
test.  The facts show that these Western countries, which falsely 
speak on behalf of the international community, were first in 
harming the international community by allowing a state like Israel 
to mobilize all types of WMDs, while devastating other countries 
like Iraq under the pretext that it has such weapons. That pretext 
proved to be a big lie.  There is no doubt that these political 
disgraces that Western countries are involved in, under U.S. 
leadership, are what deserve to be put on trial and repudiated.  The 
latest UN Security Council resolution on North Korea was very poor 
to the extent that it might been seen as encouraging North Korea to 
go ahead with its nuclear program, while...punishing any Arab state 
that escapes from the narrow cage crafted for it...so that it stays 
in the captivity of American and Israeli hegemony for life.  Indeed, 
those most responsible for the North Korean bomb are Europe and 
U.S., and they should stand trial before the court of History for 
the double standards they are still enforcing against Arabs, 
particularly those in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Sudan. 
They are being exposed to the toughest forms of oppression so that 
they will lose their Arab identity, and also their political freedom 
in all internal and external affairs.  Above all, the North Korean 
test was a slap against the West.   Yet it does constitute a new 
 
MUSCAT 00001482  002 OF 003 
 
 
opportunity for these countries to amend their policies and reduce 
the series of intimidations that they practice against the Middle 
East, and admit their failure in managing their international policy 
in this area.  Is there anyone who can resolve this issue before a 
new world confrontation occurs?" 
 
----------------------------------- 
SUPPORT FOR DIALOGUE WITH PYONGYANG 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  On October 15, "Oman" featured "Ban Ki-moon, UN 
Secretary-General": 
 
SIPDIS 
 
"Despite many attempts to diminish the role of the UN, it has been 
proven in many cases that this organization can not be dispensed 
with and that it represents the conscience of the world...as a 
whole.  Although the UN has at times slightly stayed away from the 
scenes, it is also true that the whole world has come back to it and 
has worked through it, after it proved itself to be an acceptable 
framework for dialogue for all the countries, with negligible 
exceptions.  It has also been assured that working through 
international legitimacy provides an ability to attract support and 
sympathy from the different nations, as violating the international 
resolutions is still viewed with disapproval and condemnation by the 
different peoples of the world...it is very important to keep 
dialogue open with North Korea, because it has been proved that 
breaking relations with any country is ineffective in dealing with 
the disputed issue, whether in the short or the long run...the issue 
of the North Korean nuclear test and its impact...will continue up 
to Ban Ki-moon's tenure as UN Secretary General.  He will need to 
give serious attention to the Korean peninsula's most serious 
developments since the 1950s.  It is also hoped that the 
Arab-Israeli conflict will get Ki-moon's attention." 
 
----------------------------------- 
U.S. PROGRAMS "WEAKEN" ARAB CULTURE 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶5.   On October 10, a local university professor wrote in "Oman" 
(circulation 38,000) about "America and the Ruinous Projects in the 
Region:" 
 
"The United States of America has not given due consideration to the 
warnings about the dangerous consequences of its invasion and 
occupation of Iraq.  Even Colin Powell, who was assigned to promote 
the war, advised the U.S. president to abandon those plans. 
American forces are in Afghanistan to fight terrorism and in Iraq to 
spread freedom and democracy.  However, none of these goals has been 
achieved so far.  The American projects started the twenty first 
century with a big lie.  The Greater Middle East project or the New 
Middle East project...are nothing more than multiple faces that will 
be used to try and hide the continuing occupation.  This occupation 
guarantees that America will exhaust the wealth of Arab communities 
on one hand, and disintegrate them on the other.  The two Middle 
East Projects represent a sample of how the U.S. tampers with the 
area under big slogans, such as democracy, freedom and encouragement 
of global trade.   The 'Middle East Project's' vision is to weaken 
the cultural, social and political entities that the Arab world is 
founded on, and divide it into small states and racial and sectarian 
groups.  The Middle East project, whether the old or the new, is 
designed to serve the interests of America and Israel, which are 
working to change the appearance of the area." 
 
------------------------------- 
U.S. "HUMILIATING" PALESTINIANS 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  On October 13, "Al-Watan" asked "What Disgrace Are They Talking 
About?": 
 
"What is amusing in Rice's statements is her allegations that she 
wants to liberate the Palestinians from the 'daily humiliation' they 
suffer under Israeli occupation.  We wonder what 'humiliation' Rice 
is talking about, at a time when her country is imposing economic 
siege on the Palestinian people while Israel is using the most 
sophisticated weapons to slaughter them, particularly in Gaza Strip, 
the latest of which is "Al Farahin Massacre" in Khan Younis 
yesterday.  The disgraces caused by Israel to the Palestinian people 
take many forms, none of which Rice has never succeeded in stopping. 
 Israel blocks money from reaching the Palestinian people, restricts 
border crossings and even prevents the people from leaving the 
country for Haj and Umra, or for seeking medical treatment abroad. 
 
MUSCAT 00001482  003 OF 003 
 
 
Israel has also put pressure on the European Union states, the U.S., 
Japan, and other countries to stop sending aid or money to pay the 
salaries for Palestinian employees.  [Israel] also arrests whoever 
it wants, continuously destroying houses.   Moreover, it refuses to 
exchange the captured Israeli soldier with Palestinian captives, 
violating international laws and conventions.  Rice and her aid 
David Welch announced that what is happening to the Palestinians 
could be attributed to Hamas Movement...does this reason justify all 
the "humiliation" that the Palestinian people are facing?  Rice and 
Welch have added a new humiliation to the above, represented in 
their lies to the international community...that the U.S. is 
dedicated to the Middle East peace process.  Perhaps if America 
dealt honestly with the situation, it would have admitted that the 
insults faced by the Palestinian people have been transferred to the 
Israelis and Americans after the military and political defeat they 
suffered in southern Lebanon and other occupied lands.  As for the 
path of peace, it is as clear as the sun at noon.  It is represented 
in the restoration of the Palestinian people's rights through the UN 
Convention." 
 
FONTENEAU