VZCZCXRO5606
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHMS #0570/01 1561127
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051127Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8347
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0493
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0385
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 000570 
 
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: REGIONAL CONFLICTS, LEBANON VIOLENCE, OMAN 
ELECTIONS 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: "Oman" government daily compares crises in Somalia and 
Sudan to violence in Palestine and Iraq; also says national 
reconciliation in Lebanon is more vital than ever; privately owned 
"al Watan" says that election Majlis al Shura candidates on a tribal 
basis is not a solution to challenges in Oman's elections.  Violence 
in Lebanon receives consistent coverage in all dailies.  A Women in 
Business conference in Muscat also receives some local press 
coverage.  END SUMMARY. 
 
-------- 
COVERAGE 
-------- 
 
¶2. The "Nahr al Barid" violence in Lebanon captured pride-of-place 
in Omani dailies this week. On June 2 and 3, all English-language 
dailies and the "Al-Shabiba" (youth-oriented, privately owned, 
circulation 20,000) reported on a "Women in Business" conference 
that the Embassy participated in. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
BLOCK QUOTES: SOMALIA/DARFUR LIKE IRAQ/PALESTINE 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶3. On May 31, government-owned "Oman" (circulation 38,000) worried 
about the spread of conflict in East Africa and the Arab world in an 
editorial entitled "Regional Conflicts and Sustainable 
Development": 
 
"Armed conflicts that spread to several places in a region should be 
stopped and solved on a logical and just basis...The Arab-Israeli 
conflict should be solved for good, and there should be peaceful 
co-existence in other countries of the world, especially the 
conflicts in Iraq that result from sectarianism. What is happening 
in Iraq and Palestine is a replay of what is going on in Somalia and 
Darfur.  The unexcused external interference in Sudan's affairs 
indicates that these conflicts are in a chronic political state. 
The international community must exercise its collective will to end 
these conflicts and bring hope to the peoples of these countries. 
There must be efforts to achieve development and stability in these 
places that is far away from the language of violence and 
destruction." 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
LEBANESE RECONCILIATION "MORE VITAL THAN EVER" 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶4. "Oman" published a piece on June 3 entitled "Lebanon Facing 
Difficult Challenges": 
 
"It is very important for a majority of Lebanese including Saad al 
Hariri, the representative of a future political wing, to call for 
Lebanese reconciliation and fraternity with Hezbollah...they must 
bypass the dangerous state of polarity and provide a proper degree 
of cooperation between Lebanese parties, so that there can be a 
proper framework through which to deal with current developments in 
Lebanon including the international tribunal [over Rafiq al Hariri's 
assassination].  A Lebanese national dialogue is more vital than 
ever before, despite disagreements that various regional players may 
have with the country...lending support to the Lebanese is vital not 
only on the level of the Arab League, but also when it comes to 
Lebanon's bilateral relations with other Arab states." 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
ILLITERACY NOT MAIN PROBLEM FOR OMANI ELECTIONS 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶5. On June 4, "Al-Watan" (privately owned daily, circulation 42,000) 
columnist Abdulla Bahjaj commented on Oman's "Al Shura Council and 
Tribalism": 
 
"Why are some people trying to use illiteracy as an excuse to 
influence the voters' choice for the best nominee among the 717 
candidates in the 2007 Majlis al Shura elections?  Illiteracy is a 
challenge to the process, but the solution is not simply to elect 
members on a tribal basis...From the very beginning, we did not 
accept the notion that the Majlis al Shura's inability to exercise 
legislative authority was due to the fact that a third of its 
members are illiterate...illiteracy shouldn't be a distraction from 
addressing some of the other issues that prevent the Majlis from 
becoming a legislative entity, like nomination requirements...at 
present, candidates must retire from their present jobs to take a 
Majlis seat.  But if people are given the opportunity to return to 
 
MUSCAT 00000570  002 OF 002 
 
 
their jobs after their tenure in the Majlis, then we will get 
candidates that are more qualified." 
 
GRAPPO