VZCZCXYZ4779
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #0729/01 0661438
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061438Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1975
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS AMMAN 000729 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/PPD, IIP/GNEA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: JO KPAO KMDR
SUBJECT: JORDAN: MEDIA REACT TO KING'S U.S. VISIT 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Jordanian media gave high visibility to King 
Abdullah's working visit to the United States, focusing today and 
yesterday on his meetings with the President, the Vice President, 
and Congressional leaders.  Coverage drew strictly from Government 
of Jordan official news accounts.  With one exception, press 
commentary was limited to government-aligned outlets, was focused on 
the King's messages, and was positive with respect to his efforts. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
COVERAGE UNIFORM 
 
¶2. (U) Beginning last Thursday through today, Jordanian media have 
given high visibility in print and via government-operated radio and 
television broadcasters to the working visit of King Abdullah to the 
U.S.  Coverage peaks included the King's address on February 29 at 
the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at 
Princeton University, and his meetings with President Bush, Vice 
President Cheney, and Congressional leaders this week.  Other events 
receiving substantive coverage included the King's meetings with 
representatives of Jewish, Arab, and Islamic civil society 
organizations based in the U.S., and Queen Rania's remarks in 
observance of International Women's Day.  Coverage consisted of 
Jordanian government accounts of the King's and the Queen's 
statements and official footage from these events. 
 
COMMENTARY IN SYNCH WITH ONE DIVERGING PIECE 
 
¶3. (U) With one exception, editorial commentary on the King's Visit 
to the U.S. has so far been limited to government-aligned 
newspapers.  Commentary has focused heavily on the King's messages 
and has been positive with respect to his efforts, while at the same 
time critical of Israel and, implicitly, the U.S. 
 
¶4. (U) Editorial Commentary on King's Visit 
 
-- "The Honor Of Defending the Nation Is Jordan's Destiny" 
 
Columnist Majid Asfour in the leading, government-owned Arabic daily 
Al-Rai (03/06) intones, "Jordan and its King alone do not settle for 
rhetorical defense and instead insist on conveying the image and 
concerns of [Palestinian] refugees to those with the power and 
authority who decide on international issues and on whom Israel has 
depended for decades.  This is while some Arabs face up using 
slogans of unity, freedom and immortality....  Every time King 
Abdullah addresses decision-making and civilian pressure centers in 
the United States and Europe, Israel returns to negotiations with 
the Palestinians, until someone from outside Palestine calls someone 
from inside Palestine and chaos and provocation ensue, after which 
the Arabs' concern becomes to repair the situation and return to 
negotiations....  It is Jordan's destiny to be the voice and whip of 
righteousness, shouldering the nation's concerns and defending its 
causes." 
 
-- "The King in the Eye of the Event" 
 
Columnist Shihadeh Abu Baqar in the government-aligned, 
pro-Palestinian Arabic daily Ad-Dustour (03/06) comments, "On one 
hand the King feels that Jordan, as a Hashemite Arab country, is 
shouldering the concerns of the entire region and, as such, must 
move actively within the circles of power and influence especially 
in Washington.  On the other, the King feels that the future will be 
dark and miserable for the entire region if the situation continues 
to deteriorate.  Between this and that, the King believes in 
constant movement and endeavor to put a stop to the deterioration 
and put matters back on the right tracks....  In practice, the 
King's voice must rise above all other voices.  After all, he is the 
only man who has no personal interest in what he is doing, but 
rather he is a leader who is trying hard to spare peoples and an 
entire region the dangers of misery and injustice the extent of 
which God would only know....  In practice, the Jordanians, who are 
all preoccupied with the pain of economic and political 
circumstances, must stand by the King's efforts.  After all, Jordan 
is destined for great sacrifices and rising to the honorable duty in 
support of the brothers under occupation in Palestine....  No one in 
the region can predict what is coming, but everyone can show 
willpower to do what they can do to prevent the disaster; and this 
is what the King is doing today and every day." 
 
-- "Let the Logic of Dialogue and Negotiations Precede the Logic of 
War and Arrogance of Power" 
 
Al-Rai's main editorial (3/06) reviews the King's activities, 
meetings and talks in the United States, and summarizes, "The royal 
visit to the United States contributed to explaining the Arab 
viewpoint vis-`-vis the conflict issues in the region, most 
important of which is the Palestinian cause, and opened more 
horizons for enhancing and developing the Jordanian-American 
friendship, in addition to highlighting the importance of American 
assistance to the Jordanian economy which is suffering from the 
repercussions of the global rise of oil prices." 
-- "The King After Wilson: Yes to the Right of Self-Determination" 
 
Senior columnist Sultan Hattab in Al-Rai (03/06) refers to the 
King's speech at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School, and 
observes, "The King's choice of the Woodrow Wilson College at 
Princeton University to deliver his speech before a crowd of 
professors, students, scientists, economists and politicians was no 
coincidence.  The venue has great connotation and the person after 
which the College was names means a great deal.  It is the name of 
the 28th U.S. President, Woodrow Wilson, whose life was filled with 
hard work for the benefit of Americans and the people of this earth 
and who became famous for his historical declaration of the right of 
all peoples to self-determination....  Few people have the vision of 
the King in the midst of the violence and aggression that Israel is 
imposing on the region....  The King is one of the brave ones who 
hold tight to the hot coals of peace when everyone else disappeared 
and when Israel has disturbed the peace and all its 
opportunities....  The past days were difficult.  The King struggled 
as he carried over the Arab voice, represented his nation and 
searched for the peace, for which the United States shoulders the 
responsibly of losing when it continues to keep silent about the 
Israeli aggression or takes its side.  Wilson, who used to read the 
Bible in the White House morning and night, is completely different 
in his practices and even in his faith from the current President 
Bush, who employed his religious tendency and his understanding of 
the Bible to lead towards aggression, enslavement, and 
warmongering....  King Abdullah wanted, as he took Wilson's 
platform, to remind everyone of the man's call for peace, 
neutrality, progress and the right of self-determination.  Has the 
message reached?" 
 
-- "Bush Will Always Be the War-Maker" 
 
Chief editor Taher Odwan in the independent, opposition Arabic daily 
Al-Arab Al-Yawm was the only commentator to veer from a 
King-centered focus, commenting, "President Bush does not seem to 
want to achieve a historical breakthrough in the Middle East that 
would alter his image from a war-maker to a peace-maker, as many 
analysts and politicians had expected in the aftermath of the 
Annapolis meeting....  We are amazed that President Abbas continues 
to express optimism that 'negotiations are the only way towards 
peace.'  Negotiations may be the only way, but only if they are 
accompanied by support, like the presence of an American and 
international desire supported by political pressures that have 
influence on Israel.  Otherwise, the requirement for successful 
negotiations is the return to arms, a method used by all peoples 
throughout history in issues related to freedom and occupation." 
 
-- "The King Clarifies the Basic Conditions for the Success of the 
Peace Process" 
 
Ad-Dustour's main editorial (03/05) opines, "The King's visit to the 
United States was once again a successful effort, because it 
included the various aspects of diplomatic activity, from the summit 
meeting with President Bush, the very important lecture at Princeton 
University, to the constructive dialogue with Arab, Muslim and 
Jewish organizations that have influence on American policy 
trends....  The King holds on to the light of hope and peace because 
there is no alternative.  The royal efforts will continue to call 
for wisdom, logic and not surrendering to the pressures of violence, 
desperation and tension.  It is a historical task that requires a 
great deal of patience, far-sightedness and good judgment, which are 
all qualities that the King enjoys." 
 
-- "The King in the White House:  Defending the Palestinians' Right 
to Establish Their Independent State" 
 
Al-Rai's main editorial (03/05) declares, "The Jordanian-American 
summit meeting was another opportunity for Jordanian diplomacy to 
reiterate Jordan's principles on and views of the scene in the 
region and the ongoing bloody conflict, as well as to express the 
King's appreciation for President Bush's commitment to work with 
both the Palestinian and Israeli sides in order to reach a peace 
agreement....  The Jordanian-American summit opened a new and 
important horizon for enhancing the traditional friendship between 
the two countries and was an opportunity to express Jordan's 
appreciation for the American assistance, which has played a leading 
role in supporting the national economy and encouraging 
development." 
 
RUBINSTEIN