VZCZCXRO0271
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHMS #0454/01 1681157
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 161157Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9719
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0543
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0431

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 000454 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, NEA/PI, INR/R/MR, NEA/SA/EX/PMO 
LONDON FOR NEA WATCHER 
PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER 
FOREIGN PRESS CENTER FOR NEA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP KPAO KMDR MU
SUBJECT: OMAN MEDIA REACTION: Ongoing Trafficking Coverage 
 
REF: Muscat 444 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: Negative coverage of the TIP report continued to 
dominate news articles, editorials, and commentaries through the 
weekend and into Monday.  After recent statements to the press from 
the Majlis A'Shura (reftel Muscat 444) and other government 
officials, Foreign Ministry Secretary General Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi 
spoke to private Arabic daily "Az Zamman" stating that Oman "expects 
a response".  Private Arabic daily "Al Watan" ran a piece claiming a 
"diplomatic source" said "the State Department intends to revise and 
review the report". "Al Watan" continued almost daily commentaries 
repeating common anti-U.S. accusations.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
Sayyid Badr: "We do expect a response on this issue" 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶2. On June 16, private Arabic daily "Az Zamman" ran an exclusive 
statement by Sayyid Badr, his second statement to the press on TIP, 
reaffirming Oman's expectation of a response to the June 9 meeting 
with the Ambassador. 
 
"Sayyid Badr stressed that, 'The Sultanate expects a response from 
the U.S. Administration after it delivered an official protest 
against the U.S. Department of State report placing the Sultanate 
among countries that did not exert efforts to combat trafficking in 
persons.'  In a special statement to "Az Zamman", Sayyid Badr 
remarked that, 'they certainly expressed interest and we do expect a 
response on this issue.  That is what we hope to get from a friendly 
country.'  Replying to a question on the impact of what had happened 
on the bilateral relations, the Secretary General of the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs said, 'We hope that there will be no adverse impact 
on the relations between our two friendly countries, and that has 
never been the goal of our protesting.  It was rather correcting 
information for the public opinion.  We always seek realism and 
positivism.  What happened was a reaction to the false and baseless 
report.  We have expressed our opinion as it is.'" 
 
---------------------------------------- 
Reporting From the Diplomatic Rumor Mill 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  On June 16, private Arabic daily "Al Watan" (circulation 42,000) 
ran a story based on a statement by a vaguely identified "diplomatic 
source" that, "The US Department of State Responds to the 
Sultanate's Protest by Reassessing the Report": 
 
"'Al Watan' learned from informed sources that the U.S. Department 
of State received the Sultanate's protest with great interest. 
According to a diplomatic source, the State Department intends to 
reassess and revise the report.  The source attributed Washington's 
reviewing its position to its desire for a fair evaluation and to 
its strategic relationship with the Sultanate.  This came amid 
widespread state rejection and condemnation on official and public 
levels of the report on trafficking in persons, which did not treat 
the Sultanate fairly, and disregarded its efforts to combat this 
international issue." 
 
---------------------------- 
Al Watan Continues its Cause 
---------------------------- 
 
¶4.  On June 12, 13, and 15, "Al Watan" continued its string of 
commentaries on TIP.  As was the case with last year's TIP release, 
"Al Watan" leads the press offensive in coverage and negativity of 
tone.  Below are block quotations: 
 
"Any country that refuses to comply with its [the U.S.'s] policies 
is classified as being in violation of international legitimacy or 
supportive of terrorism and trafficking in persons." 
 
"The U.S. administration is deliberately sowing seeds of hostility 
between its people and...friendly countries with whom Americans have 
deep rooted relations, such as Oman. Despite these relations, the 
U.S. drafted a slanderous report without any material evidence that 
classified the Sultanate among countries that traffic in persons." 
 
"We are a people who cherish and respect the covenants of 
international relations and who are committed to the practice of 
neutral policies in the context of self-esteem and preservation. We 
cannot keep silent on the accusations of the U.S. State Department, 
or on its lies and allegations about trafficking in persons." 
 
----------------------------------- 
ONLINE: "Yes We Traffic" Stokes Ire 
----------------------------------- 
 
MUSCAT 00000454  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶5.  Oman's most active online discussion site, Al Sabla 
(www.omania2.net), posted strong reaction to the publishing of the 
TIP report.  One discussion thread, titled "Yes We traffic in 
Persons" received 174 comments and 8,627 views, ranking as one of 
the most active threads in the forum.  90% of responses defended the 
Omani stand on the TIP report, attacking the way the report was 
drafted and its lack of evidence. 
FONTENEAU