VZCZCXRO4233
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHMS #0474/01 1341218
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141218Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8223
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0486
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0378
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MUSCAT 000474 
 
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: IRANIAN PREMIER VISITS MUSCAT, DEMOCRACY 
VERSUS STABILITY 
 
¶1. SUMMARY:  In the leadup to this week's visit by Iranian President 
Ahmadinejad, Iran's ambassador to Oman calls their bilateral 
relations "exemplary," adding that American "ships and war fleets" 
are the real danger to the environment and regional stability, and 
that he supports a GCC nuclear program and GCC free trade agreement 
with Iran.  Both private and government dailies welcome 
Ahmadinejad's visit with "open arms;" a local professor questions 
whether democracy at the price of stability is desirable.  Local 
dailies give substantial coverage to the visit of the CENTCOM 
commander to Muscat and to the establishment of U.S. nonprofit 
AMIDEAST in Oman.  END SUMMARY. 
 
-------- 
COVERAGE 
-------- 
 
¶2. On Monday, May 14, news of Iranian president Mahmoud 
Ahmadinejad's state visit to Oman received prominent, above-the-fold 
front-page coverage in all Omani dailies.  Earlier in the week, 
state-owned Arabic daily "Oman" (circulation 38,000) published an 
interview with Iranian Ambassador Murtada Rahimi.  On Thursday, May 
10, CENTCOM Commander Admiral Fallon's visit to the Sultanate 
received prominent coverage in all dailies.  Also on May 10, the 
signing ceremony for the opening of Muscat's AMIDEAST office 
received prominent coverage.  On Sunday, May 13, dailies carried 
news of Ambassador Grappo's meeting with Abdullah bin Abbas bin 
Ahmad, head of the Muscat municipality.  Excerpts of Iran coverage 
follow: 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
IRAN VISIT HIGHLIGHTS "PEACEFUL" NUKE PROGRAM 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. "Al-Shabiba", youth-oriented Arabic daily (circulation 20,000), 
May 7, 2007, by Muhammad al Balushi: "This visit is the second by an 
Iranian leader to the Sultanate since the Iranian Islamic Revolution 
of 1979.  Muhammad Khatami was the first... According to high-level 
sources, the Iranian president and His Majesty the Sultan will 
discuss...regional and international issues, especially Iraq.  The 
Iranian president will highlight his country's position on the 
nuclear program and its peaceful goals, under the shadow of the 
[Arab] Gulf's environmental fears about the proximity of the Bushehr 
reactor to the waters of the Gulf." 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
IRANIAN ENVOY: RELATIONS WITH OMAN "EXEMPLARY" 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶4.  "Oman" ran a Sunday, May 13 article that included excerpts of an 
interview with Iran's ambassador to the Sultanate, Murtada Rahimi. 
The Ambassador stressed the "exemplary" relations between the two 
states and spoke of increasing cooperation in trade and tourism, 
including the possibility of opening an Iranian trade office in the 
Omani city of Khasab (or even in Muscat), similar to the Omani trade 
office in Bandar Abbas.  Rahimi said Iran was open to a free trade 
agreement with the GCC and was "ready to support" a GCC nuclear 
energy program. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
"NO BASIS IN SCIENTIFIC FACT" FOR NUCLEAR WORRIES 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶5.  The Ambassador also said that "Iran's nuclear activities are an 
Iranian technical and scientific achievement, re-invigorating the 
pride of Iranians and, we hope, Islamic peoples.  What is rumored 
about Iran's nuclear program, its danger and the worry about it, has 
no basis in scientific fact or full verification.  Iran's nuclear 
activities are under the continuing observation of the IAEA's camera 
lenses.  The [IAEA] is concerned with confirming the investigation 
of the peaceful nature of Iran's activities and dissipating worry. 
Iran suggested establishing a consortium with all countries, 
including those of the region, to cooperate and protect it from any 
dangers." 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
"WAR FLEETS," NOT IRAN, ARE TRUE DANGER TO REGION 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶6.  [According to Iran's Ambassador], "the danger to the environment 
and to the region is hidden in the existence of the ships and war 
fleets that have no reason to be involved with security and 
stability... Iran is not the source of tension... It is ready to 
 
MUSCAT 00000474  002 OF 003 
 
 
negotiate with all countries...(except the Zionist regime).  The 
situation is not in the interests of any side, and the Americans 
know very well that increasing the tension will lead to losses at a 
time when they face numerous difficulties in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
They must search for solutions to these escalating problems.  As for 
the Islamic Republic of Iran, it works to preserve stability and get 
rid of any tension while it preserves its rights and achievements." 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
BLOCK QUOTES: MUSCAT'S "OPEN ARMS" FOR AHMADINEJAD 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶7. On May 4, state-owned daily "Oman" published an editorial 
entitled "Broad Horizon for Enhancing Omani-Iranian Relations": 
 
"Today, Muscat opens its welcoming arms to Iranian President Mahmoud 
Ahmadinejad, president of the friendly Islamic Republic of Iran... 
The Sultanate has previously confirmed its support for the Islamic 
Republic of Iran's right to obtain and possess peaceful nuclear 
technology and use it for peaceful goals.  That is a legitimate 
right for all countries that have signed the nuclear 
non-proliferation treaty... Together, the Islamic Republic of Iran 
and the Arab countries support a Middle East region free from 
weapons of mass destruction, and they also support the discarding of 
double standards and customary policies that have not succeeded in 
forging international cooperation to deal with this question that 
concerns the present and future of both the countries of the region 
and its people." 
 
-------------------------------------- 
OMAN IS AHMADINEJAD'S "SECOND COUNTRY" 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. On May 14, privately owned "Al-Watan" (circulation 42,000) 
published an editorial entitled, "Welcome to the Great Iranian 
Guest": 
 
"Bilateral relations between the Sultanate and the Islamic Republic 
of Iran have singular importance... They are an effective source for 
preserving world peace and guaranteeing the flow of petroleum energy 
resources...to all the world's markets.  It is natural that Gulf 
security is an important concern for all the inhabitants of the 
region who suffer the effects of foreign interference.  Events have 
shown the composure of mind and keen estimation of objective 
circumstances that His Majesty [Sultan Qaboos] possesses.  When 
crises intensify and war threatens to break out, it is then that the 
historical importance of the relations, and their extensive stock of 
confidence, comes into play.  His Majesty...has worked to establish 
these relations, in pursuit of securing the shared interests of the 
region's people.  Today, the Sultanate receives President 
Ahmadenijad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.  It is an 
important visit for the two friendly countries in all of its 
dimensions and comes amidst circumstances that are laden with 
possibilities for what concerns regional security... Due to the very 
active nature of this region, all eyes are on the results of today's 
discussions between the two great leaders, H.M. Sultan Qaboos and 
his guest the Iranian president, so we say 'welcome' to the guest 
who is amongst his people and in his second country; as is its 
custom, the Sultanate opens its arms and its heart to all who 
instill in it feelings of fraternity and friendship, the desire for 
integration, and sincere cooperation." 
 
----------------------- 
DEMOCRACY OR STABILITY? 
----------------------- 
 
¶9.  On May 9, Sultan Qaboos University Professor Ubaiyd al Shaqsi 
wrote an article in "Oman" asking, "Is Democracy at the Price of 
Stability Justified?": 
 
"What is the criteria for evaluating successful democracy?  Can we 
judge a democracy as being successful if it comes at the price of 
stability, or should we prize stability over democracy?  The world's 
memory embraces the first equation only in the minds of those who 
want to promote democracy for their own personal interests.  The 
American administration has continuously promoted the notion 
[prizing democracy over stability] through the statements of its 
Secretary of State Rice, who said during her 2005 visit to Egypt 
 
SIPDIS 
that the U.S. had worked for 60 years to consolidate stability at 
the price of democracy in the region without any positive results 
and that now America would change its approach, because of its 
 
MUSCAT 00000474  003 OF 003 
 
 
belief in democracy and peoples' desire for it.  This meant that 
from that point on, America would emphasize democracy over 
stability.  Yet Rice seemed to change her mind when she witnessed 
how America faced chaos in Iraq in mid-January, and she started to 
bet on stability rather than democracy.  Not necessarily for the 
sake of the people in the Arab world, but rather to protect her 
country's interests and reputation.  Now that America has proved its 
failure in Iraq and Afghanistan, its slogans of democracy have 
started to slowly fade away, due to the security crises not only in 
Iraq and Afghanistan, but also in many parts of the Middle East." 
 
GRAPPO